Grant is unlikely to continue as Chelsea's coach next season
By The Associated Press
Coach Avram Grant is unlikely to continue as Chelsea's coach next season, after his team was defeated yesterday by Manchester United at the end of a thrilling penalty shootout and lost the Champions League title.
Nevertheless, the Israeli coach has much to be proud of as his team put up a valiant fight and was close to winning before team captain John Terry missed a crucial penalty that would have won them the title. At the end of regular time the score was tied 1-1.
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Frank Lampard equalized in the 45th minute Wednesday to put Chelsea even with Manchester United 1-1 at halftime of the Champions League final.
Lampard scored from 12 meters (yards) after a shot from Michael Essien hit two United defenders and fell to the ground.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead in the 26th minute by heading in a cross from Wes Brown, who had swapped passes with Paul Scholes on the right wing. It was Ronaldo's 42nd goal of the season for the Premier League champions.
Chelsea almost scored in the 34th when United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar had to make a reflex save from his own defender, Rio Ferdinand. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech then made a reaction save off a shot from Carlos Tevez in the 35th and recovered to push a follow-up shot from Michael Carrick over the bar.
The match at the Luzhniki Stadium is the first European Cup final in the 53-year history of the competition to have two English teams. Fans, unexpectedly, behave properly
English behave
The last planeloads of English soccer fans arrived in Moscow yesterday for the Champions League final, and those who had already made it were behaving themselves. More than 40,000 fans had been expected to arrive from England over the last three days, though police spokesman Yevgeny Gildeyev said that by 6 p.m. local time, less than half had arrived.
"Evidently, if they fail to arrive, there will be empty seats, but how many I do not know," Gildeyev said. "We'll see when it starts."
Those who made it to Moscow for the first-ever all-English Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea behaved impeccably, Gildeyev said.
The only altercation reported so far came about 7 p.m. local time, when a dozen young Russians threw glass bottles at Chelsea fans who were drinking outside a popular central Moscow bar, a waiter there said. No one was injured.
Supporters had already begun trickling into Luzhniki Stadium more than three hours before the 10:45 p.m. local time kickoff. Dark clouds formed over the giant arena, and a chill hung in the air, a stark contrast to Monday and Tuesday's humidity.
Earlier, Blues and Red Devils supporters appeared to be mixing in bars and on Red Square without any trouble.
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