Champs League final: Chelsea left devastated

MOSCOW - Assistant coach Henk ten Cate revealed Chelsea had been left "devastated" by their dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the final of the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had put United in front after 26 minutes but Frank Lampard equalised seconds before half-time.
The game went to penalties after extra-time failed to separate the Barclays Premier League's top two teams in the competition's first all-English final.
Chelsea would have won their first Champions League crown if captain John Terry had scored his spot-kick but the defender slipped as he connected with the ball and sent his effort wide.
His miss was followed by Edwin van der Sar's save from Nicolas Anelka to hand United their third European Cup and the second under Sir Alex Ferguson.
"We were devastated to lose it like that," said Ten Cate.
"I thought that in the second half and extra-time that we were the better side.
"We had some good chances and were very unlucky. We hit the post and the crossbar but penalties is a lottery and we got the short straw."
But Ten Cate, who joined the club as Avram Grant's number two shortly after the Israeli replaced Jose Mourinho as manager in September, paid tribute to the character of the players during a difficult season.
The Dutchman, who tasted Champions League success as assistant to Frank Rijkaard when Barcelona beat Arsenal in 2006, said: "The players have done a fantastic job this year.
"Especially if you look at the many critics they had, the manager especially.
"The players had to cope with it every day and to come so far, and be better over the 120 minutes against one of the best teams in the world, means that everyone at Chelsea can be proud."
Ten Cate was full of sympathy for Terry who, he claims, was not in the original five penalty takers.
Terry was just 12 yards away from winning the trophy for the club he joined as a youngster when his standing leg fell from beneath him as he attempted the place the ball to Van der Sar's left.
"It was unbelievable," said Ten Cate. "He just slipped. We practiced penalties in training last week and he was so confident - he took them all very well.
"So we were pretty confident. He was not in the first five but when it comes to take them, somebody might say 'I don't feel well, I prefer somebody else take it'."
It is unclear whether Didier Drogba - sent off in extra-time for slapping Nemanja Vidic - would have taken a penalty instead of Terry.
Ronaldo headed United in front with his 42nd goal of a memorable season when he met a cross from Wes Brown at the far post.
But Lampard levelled on the stroke of half-time after Michael Essien's shot had cannoned into his path off the back of United captain Rio Ferdinand.
Drogba and Lampard both hit the woodwork for the Blues as they searched for a winner and United spent much of extra-time on the ropes.
Chelsea appeared to be heading for glory when Petr Cech saved Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty but Terry's glaring miss handed the momentum back to United.
Nicolas Anelka's spot-kick was then kept out by Van der Sar and United had clinched another European triumph - 50 years since the Munich disaster and four decades after they became the first English club to win the competition.

Champions League Final: Visa victory for fans

MOSCOW - Chelsea and Manchester United fans have been given a boost as Russia have agreed to allow fans with Champions League final tickets entry to the country without a visa.

Supporters of both clubs will be able to use their tickets for the game in Moscow as a visa substitute for a 72-hour period between May 19 and 23.

UEFA's announcement will be a huge relief for the estimated 42,000 ticketholders planning to travel to Russia for what is arguably the biggest match ever played between two English clubs.

The move alleviates a huge burden on the Russian National Tourist Office in London, who have been handling visas on behalf of the Russian Embassy in Britain for the May 21 final.

While it is unclear whether they would have succeeded in processing all the visa applications in time, Mondayy's announcement removed the embarrassing prospect of ticket-holders being forced to miss the final.

The news follows high-level discussions involving the UEFA president Michel Platini and the Russian Government.

Platini said: "This is great news for football fans travelling to watch this year's UEFA Champions League final in Moscow.

"Our job is to make sure that they are able to get to and from Moscow as easily as possible.

"I am therefore extremely pleased that, at my request, all fans travelling with a valid match ticket can use this to enter Russian territory, and for this I must thank wholeheartedly the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Russian government, the city of Moscow and the Football Union of Russia for this exceptional and unprecedented gesture."

As well as a match ticket, supporters require a valid passport and a completed immigration form upon entrance to Russia.

Those travelling have been urged not to dispose of their ticket until they have left the country.

Anyone overstaying the 72-hour entry period will be charged the fee for a regular visa upon departure.

United and Chelsea officials met with Russian match organisers in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the situation, with supporters of both clubs eagerly waiting for an announcement since they qualified for the final.

Fans without a ticket, hoping to travel independently, should be able to have their visas processed in plenty of time - though the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have advised supporters not to travel "if they do not have a ticket or accommodation beforehand".

Both clubs have been given 21,000 tickets each for the match at the Luzhniki Stadium, where the capacity is being set specifically at 69,500.

Newcastle 0-2 Chelsea: Title race still alive

NEWCASTLE - Michael Ballack was again Chelsea's hero as the Londoners took the Premier League title race down the final game of the season.

The German, whose double against Manchester United last week took them level with their rivals at the top, broke a stubborn Newcastle with a crucial 60th-minute opener at St James' Park.

But it was not until Florent Malouda added a second eight minutes from time that the points were safe as the spirited Magpies did their best to preserve a seven-game unbeaten run.

They had needed the help of the crossbar to keep out John Terry's 53rd-minute header, but had it not been for the Chelsea skipper's goalline clearance 16 minutes before the break, Michael Owen would have fired the home side ahead.

Newcastle had their chances to level as time ran down with Obafemi Martins seeing his blistering effort deflected just wide by Ricardo Carvalho.

However, Chelsea's class was ultimately made to tell on a day when Kevin Keegan was given the best illustration yet of how far his side has to go to compete an a level playing field with the big boys.

Avram Grant's men head into next weekend's clash with Bolton knowing victory might not be enough to lift the trophy if United win at Wigan, because of their inferior goal difference, but they have a chance.

It was perhaps testament to the turnaround in fortunes engineered by Keegan on Tyneside that his opposite number opted to change formation as well as personnel in the search for three points.

Out went Ashley Cole, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Salomon Kalou from the side which clinched a place in the Champions League final and in, among others, came Malouda and Nicolas Anelka.

They were deployed in a three-pronged front line either side of Didier Drogba, but such was the tenacity with which the Magpies defended, none of the trio managed to put pressure on goalkeeper Steve Harper.

Indeed, their best chance of the first half fell to Ballack 10 minutes before the break when he ran onto Michael Essien's measured pass, but sliced a left-foot shot harmlessly wide.

In fact, most of the half's better chances fell to Newcastle, who perhaps made more of a lesser share of the possession.

Owen left England team-mate Terry for dead with just six minutes gone to collect the imperious Nicky Butt's pass, but lifted his first-time effort over Petr Cech's crossbar.

But with Martins making life intensely difficult for Paulo Ferreira down the Chelsea right, the Magpies threatened repeatedly and might have taken the lead with 29 minutes gone.

The Nigerian controlled a high ball superbly on his chest for Mark Viduka to stab in a shot which Cech saved, but the rebound seemed to fall invitingly to Owen.

The #17million man steered his shot firmly towards goal but Terry was in exactly the right place at the right time to save his side.

Chelsea responded by pinning Newcastle back inside their own half, but Harper was able to watch long-range efforts from Anelka and Mikel John Obi sail wide of the target, and it was the Magpies who finished the first half the stronger.

Viduka's failure to re-appear after the break - he is due to have an injection for a persistent Achilles problem - prompted Alan Smith's introduction, but it was the visitors who went close when Carvalho headed Malouda's 50th-minute corner wide.

However, Terry went much closer three minutes later as Chelsea started to turn the screw.

Malouda was the provider once again with another right-wing corner, and this time his captain climbed highest to thunder a header against the bar as Newcastle enjoyed a huge slice of good fortune.

But they finally fell behind on the hour when Ballack met Drogba's free-kick unmarked in front of goal to glance home a close-range header.

Lampard replaced Anelka with 24 minutes remaining as Grant adopted his more accustomed 4-4-2 formation, but it was Newcastle who almost hit back as the game entered its final 20 minutes.

First Martins saw Carvalho deflect his shot inches wide with Cech stranded, and then Owen only just failed to connect with Butt's mishit effort in front of goal.

Harper pulled off a smart reaction save to deny Ballack from distance and the game was anything but over.

However, Malouda's neat finish from Lampard's 82nd-minute pass cemented the win as Newcastle's resistance was finally broken.