“At the end of this game, the European Cup will be only six feet away from you, and you'll not even be able to touch it if we lose. And for many of you, that's the closest you will ever get. Don't you dare come back in here without giving your all.” - Sir Alex Ferguson's half time team talk in the 1999 Champions League Final
Tuesday 22nd May
As the British Airways flight headed towards Athens, I cast my mind back to the last eleven and a half months and the unicorn who was currently looking out of the window. Her unexpected arrival at my apartment. Bonding over the World Cup. Watching England get knocked out on penalties, and then Zidane headbutting Materazzi in the final. The trip to Scotland, and then learning about how she might be able to go back home.
Then, the slow start to the Premier League campaign, followed by a good run which had included the victory at Old Trafford and Danny Doyle's debut hat trick at Sheffield United. The two defeats in December which had nearly brought it all crashing down, followed by the last gasp win over Liverpool with ten men. Rainbow Dash lending Derpy her season ticket so that the two could be together at Christmas. That superb run from the beginning of February, including those massive wins at Arsenal and Liverpool. Coming back from two goals down to beat Galatasaray in the Round of 16, before beating Liverpool in the Quarter Finals and winning in the Nou Camp in the semis. Whittling away Manchester United’s lead at the top before snatching the title on the final day of the season, before winning the FA Cup at Wembley. And now, the Champions League Final. This was what it all came down to. If Chelsea won tomorrow night, they would become only the second English club to win the treble, and the Foal Protection Agency would have to uphold their end of the agreement and reunite Dinky with her mother back in Ponyville.
That Morning…
As Rainbow Dash headed for the station to take the train to the British Embassy, she was stopped by a reporter for the Ponyville Times.
“Do you have any comment about tomorrow’s match?” He asked.
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash replied, “First of all, Derpy, we are going to win tomorrow night, and you and Dinky will be back together before you know it!”
“First of all? Do you have any other messages?”
“Yes. Tomorrow night, Belladonna, when the final whistle goes...run.”
Wednesday 23rd May
The sound of Derpy's radio alarm woke the postmare from her sleep. She couldn't think about the evening yet, there were the day's letters and parcels to deliver.
“Good Morning, and welcome to The Breakfast Show on Ponyville FM. There’s only one thing on the mind of every football fan in Equestria this morning, and that is the Champions League Final tonight between Chelsea and AC Milan…”
All over Equestria, in Neighmouth, Manechester, Trottingham, Coltsborough, Canterlot, Ponyville and many other towns, big screens had been set up to show the match that evening and the weather teams had all agreed that the night would be warm and clear.
An hour and a quarter from the beginning of the match, Derpy opened her door to Twilight and Lyra.
“Ready when you are,” Twilight said.
Derpy took a deep breath, left the house...and was greeted by a storm of cheers and a sea of blue and white. The whole of the Equestria Blues had come to Ponyville to watch the match at Rainbow Dash’s request.
“Ready?” I asked, as we prepared to leave our hotel room for the match.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Dinky replied.
Rainbow Dash, quaking like a leaf, barely nodded.
It had almost been like a procession as Derpy, flanked by Twilight and Lyra, had been cheered all the way from her house to the big screen, and was shown to perhaps the best space in the town square.
“Welcome to the Olympic Stadium in Athens,” Kick Off said, “And the fans of Chelsea and AC Milan both believe that this is their year. Chelsea were simply majestic in their semi final, beating Barcelona home and away, whilst Milan did just enough to beat Manchester United on away goals. A game with so many potential match-winners. Frank Lampard, Kaka, Michael Ballack, Andrea Pirlo, Didier Drogba, Alberto Gilardino. Can Chelsea win the European Cup for the first time in their history and complete a historic treble? Or will Milan exorcise the ghost of Istanbul?”
It seemed as though the town had pulled out all the stops. Pinkie Pie had made, and was serving, a huge number of cupcakes which, rather than the usual extravagant frosting, were decorated with either an iced Champions League trophy or the competition’s “Starball” logo, while Berry Punch and her daughter served up drinks - Berry Punch handling the alcohol, with Ruby serving the soft drinks.
“It all comes down to this,” Kick Off said, as the teams walked onto the pitch, “The UEFA Champions League Final. Winning it would cap off an amazing season for Chelsea, after all their domestic success, but Milan have unfinished business against English opposition.”
Dinky had been to all of Chelsea's home matches in the Champions League, as well as the Nou Camp, but she was awestruck by the occasion as the teams lined up for the anthem. Even Rainbow Dash was amazed.
Chelsea went on the attack almost from the beginning, and Robben forced a throw-in. Lampard crossed the ball into the area, only for Alessandro Nesta to head the ball clear.
Milan's first real attack came in the twelfth minute. Kaka, Milan's Brazilian playmaker, sent a long ball into the area, and Gilardino connected, heading the ball straight at Cech.
Seven minutes later, Milan attacked down the right. Full back Massimo Oddo sent a diagonal cross into the area before Robben could challenge, and Gilardino sent a header past Cech to give Milan the lead.
“First blood to the Italians!” Kick Off exclaimed, as groans broke out among the crowd in Ponyville, “Superb header by Gilardino, but Robben will be kicking himself for not closing Oddo down!”
Robben looked to make amends, and in the 24th minute he got down the left before sending in a cross, which was caught by Dida in the Milan goal.
With half an hour gone, Robben got down the left again. This time his cross did connect, but Drogba, having beaten Nesta in the air, headed just over the bar.
Three minutes later, Essien intercepted a pass, and played the ball to Ballack. Ballack then passed to Drogba who, forced out wide, took the ball down the right and crossed into the area, where Gudjohnsen powered a header past Dida.
“And Chelsea are level!” Kick Off announced, as the Chelsea end erupted and Rainbow Dash suddenly found her bravado, “Superb header by Gudjohnsen, and that's been coming for the last ten minutes!”
The match then entered a rather tentative phase which lasted into the second half, as both sides’ defenders hoofed the ball downfield whenever it got near the area. The best chance of that phase came in the 54th minute, when Gattuso saw a shot saved by Cech.
Just after the halfway point in the second half, a cross from the right was deflected behind for a Chelsea corner. Lampard’s corner was met by the head of Carvalho, who headed the ball just over.
Chelsea then began to take control as the match entered the last ten minutes, and with ten minutes left, Drogba got into the area, but saw his shot tipped wide as Nesta and Maldini forced him away from goal.
Three minutes later, a Milan attack broke down when a pass was intercepted by Makelele. Makelele then set up Lampard, who played it to Robben out wide. Robben got down the left and sent a diagonal ball into the area, where Drogba, holding off Nesta, Maldini and Pirlo, chested the ball down before bending a swerving shot past the outstretched hand of Dida and into the net.
“Oh, that is wonderful from Drogba! An absolutely brilliant goal, from an absolutely brilliant player!” Kick Off exclaimed, as Drogba raced to the corner flag before being mobbed by his teammates, while a wall of sound emanated from Ponyville’s town square, “Chelsea, who were behind in the title race, behind in the FA Cup Final, and behind tonight, are now just seven minutes away from The Treble!”
In Ponyville, Derpy kept one eye on the clock in the top left corner of the screen. In the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Dinky and Rainbow Dash did the same. Six minutes. Five. Four and a half…
A long ball out from Dida found Gattuso, who got past Ashley Cole before going for goal from outside the area, only to send the ball high and wide of the goal.
“The ninety minutes are up, three minutes of stoppage time indicated,” Kick Off said, as Derpy took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Milan had regained possession, and Maldini had launched the ball long upfield.
“Two minutes of added time left,” Kick Off said, “Chelsea can almost reach out and touch the trophy, but they’ve got to hold firm, as it’s Clarence Seedorf with this free kick…”
A huge number of spectators, both human and pony, held their breaths.
“Floated into the box, Kaka with the header...saved, almost on the line, by Cech! And Carvalho hacks the ball clear, but what a vital save that was!”
“Almost there…” I muttered, as the match entered the final minute of added time.
“I reckon it’s time,” Kick Off said, “The Chelsea fans are probably checking their watches. Mourinho’s looking at his watch. The referee has looked at his watch twice...and there it is!”
Chelsea 2-1 AC Milan (Gudjohnsen 33, Drogba 83; Gilardino 19)
“They’ve done it!” Kick off yelled, as the players in blue all celebrated, “2007 Premier League winners, 2007 FA Cup winners, and now, 2007 Champions League winners! They have had an incredible season! Heartache for AC Milan, once again they lose to English opposition in a Champions League Final...”
I felt something hit my side and looked down to see an ecstatic Rainbow Dash attempting to hug me while Dinky, wide-eyed, looked down at the pitch where the celebrations were now getting underway in earnest.
“...I didn’t think they were going to do it a few months ago.” Full Time said.
“Well, who predicted that this would happen when Fontana clashed with Terry at St James’ Park?” Kick Off said, “Who thought this would happen when Galatasaray went two goals up at Stamford Bridge? But time and time again Chelsea came back. They overturned an eleven point deficit in the title race, they came back to beat Galatasaray, they beat Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the semi finals. And now, they take their place in European Football's Hall of Fame. They join Manchester United in the promised land, the second English club to win the treble…”
Derpy looked up at the screen, while the Equestria Blues celebrated behind her. Amazingly, Belladonna’s gambit had failed. Chelsea had won the treble, and she was going to get her Muffin back.
...she was going to get her Muffin back…
...She was going to get her Muffin back!
“You know,” Twilight said to nopony in particular, “I never thought I’d see another English team win the tre-” she was suddenly knocked flat on her back, and looked up to see Derpy sporting a smile that even Pinkie Pie wouldn’t have managed while tears streamed down her face.
“WE DID IT, TWILIGHT!” she yelled, “WE DID IT, WE ACTUALLY DID IT!”
“...the famous European Cup,” Kick Off said, as the Chelsea players prepared to lift their prize, “The huge trophy, lifted by so many great players down the years, which means that they are Champions of Europe!”
There would be time to sort everything out later, I thought, as we eventually left the stadium. Right now, it was time to celebrate.