Man. United and Chelsea to Meet in Final

Chelsea’s passion for the championship was extraordinary.

In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final held Thursday at Stamford Bridge in London, Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2. Winning with the combined scores of 4-3, Chelsea obtained its first-ever ticket to the final.

With two matches to play in the Premier League, both Chelsea and Manchester United have 81 points, although United remains top thanks to more goals.

Chelsea will be competing against United for the double (winning both the Premier League and the Champions League) by breaking from its defensive play and showing formidable offensives.

In the 53-season history of the Champions League, it is the first time that two England teams are pitted against for the championship. The one-off final match is scheduled for May 22 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

The Chelsea-Liverpool match was hard to predict until the very last moment.

The game went overtime, after a goal from Chelsea’s Didier Drogba in the first half and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres in the second ended the match in a draw.

Chelsea’s Frank Lampard scored a penalty eight minutes into extra time, followed by an additional goal from Drogba seven minutes later.

Liverpool would have advanced to the final if it had ended the game in a draw. But it failed to produce more goals after the 30-meter shoot Ryan Babel successfully scored with three minutes of extra time remaining.

yjongk@donga.com