Independent:
Bayern Munich 2 Chelsea 2 (aet; Bayern win 5-4 on penalties)
Bayern's Super Cup revenge from the spot cruel on 10-man Chelsea
By MATT MCGEEHAN
Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich twice came from behind to beat Jose Mourinho's 10-man Chelsea and win the European Super Cup in a penalty shootout at the Stadion Eden in Prague.
Chelsea thought they had handed Mourinho a first trophy of his second spell as boss when Eden Hazard netted in extra time after Franck Ribery had cancelled out Fernando Torres' opener.
The dismissal of Ramires for a second bookable offence left the Blues exposed and Javi Martinez tucked in with the final kick of an astonishing game, forcing penalties.
The 2012 European Cup final between the sides had been decided on spot-kicks in Chelsea's favour and on this occasion, shooting towards the boisterous Bayern end, 20-year-old substitute Romelu Lukaku saw his effort saved as the Germans claimed a 5-4 shootout success.
It denied Mourinho a first European Super Cup and a maiden trophy of his second spell at Stamford Bridge.
There had also been personal pride at stake for former Internazionale and Real Madrid boss Mourinho, who had won three of his previous 15 encounters with Guardiola's Barcelona. But the Spaniard remains his nemesis.
The Chelsea manager was steadfast in his belief that Chelsea deserved to lift the trophy.“The best team clearly lost the match,” said the Portuguese.
“The best team played with 10 men for a long, long period in the game. They played against the champions of Europe and they were the best team. (But) we have reasons to be proud and to believe in the future.”
Mourinho thought the decision to send off Ramires, who picked up a second booking for a foul on Mario Gotze in the closing stages of the second half, was a touch harsh given the context of the game.
He said: “I'd prefer to say no, even if you say yes. Rules are rules but there is a very important rule which is common sense, which is the passion for the game. When a referee takes this decision, I'm not sure he's in love with football.”
On Torres' performance, Mourinho added: “He's working fantastically since the first day, so I hope he gets confidence in matches like this one. He had a very good match.”
Torres will have competition this season from Samuel Eto'o, who signed for the Stamford Bridge club on a one-year deal on Thursday.
Chelsea have also been linked with Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney but when asked if he plans on strengthening his squad before the transfer deadline day on Monday, Mourinho replied: “No, I don't think so.”
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Guardian:
Bayern Munich defeat Chelsea on penalties in Uefa Super Cup
• Bayern Munich 2-2 Chelsea (aet; Bayern win 5-4 on pens)
• Ribéry 47 Martínez 120; Torres 8, Hazard 93
Daniel Taylor at the Eden Arena
It came down to penalties, just as it had in the Champions League final a couple of seasons ago, only this time there was no happy sense of déjà vu for Chelsea and the players in blue were on their knees rather than dancing round the pitch and pretending to drink from the trophy.
They have made an art form of winning these occasions, sometimes against all the odds, and they can take great dignity from defeat considering the backs-to-the-wall operation they put up against formidable opponents. Javi Martínez's equaliser to take the game to penalties arrived, cruelly, in the final seconds of stoppage time at the end of the additional 30 minutes. The difference this time, unlike in Munich, was that Bayern's penalty-taking was flawless.
David Alaba, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm, Franck Ribéry and Xherdan Shaqiri all beat Petr Cech on a bittersweet night for the Chelsea goalkeeper in which he was at fault for Bayern's first equaliser but then produced a series of stunning saves during the late, unremitting onslaught.
David Luiz, Oscar and Frank Lampard all finished their penalties with great confidence. Ashley Cole's somehow crept in after striking the inside of the post and flashing across the goalline, and then it was Romelu Lukaku's turn. His effort was not struck with great conviction and Manuel Neuer dived to his left to win the first trophy of Pep Guardiola's reign at Bayern. José Mourinho will have to wait a little longer for the first of his second spell at Chelsea.
Mourinho will not enjoy losing out to his old adversary and there was something agonising about the way Javi Martínez denied Chelsea just at the point of the match when it was looking like another success story for the durability that has become the team's trademark in Europe.
The Europa League winners had lost Ramires to a red card four minutes before the game went into extra-time and, at that stage, a lesser team would have crumpled. Chelsea simply shook their heads clear and braced themselves for a siege. Eden Hazard put them into a 2-1 lead, in a rare breakaway three minutes into the first period, and the drama was unrelenting as Bayern pinned them back in search of an equaliser.
Once again we saw this great Bayern team trying desperately to navigate a way past a goalkeeper and defence operating with a thou-shall-not-pass mentality. On the sidelines Mourinho could be seen furiously gesturing towards the Chelsea supporters to turn up the volume.
In the opposite dugout it was rare to see Guardiola so animated, kicking the advertising boards, screaming to the skies. This might not be the competition they crave the most but both teams gave everything. It was an epic night and, by the end, it was difficult not to feel for Chelsea even if, on the balance of play, Bayern deserved their glory.
The huge banner showing off the five trophies Bayern accumulated last season needs to be updated now. "Oana Basst No Nei," read the accompanying message from Bavaria. Translation: "Room for one more."
Yet amid all the late drama it was also true that Chelsea could have won the match in more orthodox fashion. They had taken the lead through Fernando Torres's crisp right-foot finish, confidently putting away Andre Schürrle's eighth-minute cross. Brilliant as Cech was, he will be aggrieved by the soft way he let Ribéry's shot beat him three minutes into the second half.
Ramires saw red for a foul on Mario Götze, having already been booked for a challenge on Ribéry, but Chelsea could still have spared themselves extra-time. Branislav Ivanovic turned a late header against the crossbar and David Luiz had an even better opportunity shortly afterwards.
If Bayern did have a weakness, it was in defence, as demonstrated by the way they opened up for Hazard to come in from the left, step inside Lahm and Jérôme Boateng and lash a shot past an obliging Neuer. Chelsea had to defend with great togetherness and try to catch refined opponents on the counter-attack. Most of all it was a night for their defenders to excel. Cole, once again, rose to the big occasion. David Luiz showed why Chelsea have repelled Barcelona's advances. Gary Cahill epitomised their efforts with two saving tackles to block near-certain goals for Thomas Müller in the first half, then Shaqiri towards the end of extra-time. Cech's night was undermined by his slow reflexes for Ribéry's goal. That apart, however, this was a marvellous performance from the goalkeeper.
Mourinho will also reflect on the chance Oscar spurned, clean through after Dante's mistake, with the score at 1-1. For long spells, though, Bayern demonstrated why they are such feared opponents. Ribéry, in particular, was irrepressible. They also had three substitutes in Javi Martínez, Shaqiri and Götze who were able to influence the game. Javi Martínez is not a bad player to bring off the bench. Twice denied by Cech, he finally got the better of him from Dante's lay-off in a crowded penalty area.
After that it was a display of exceptional accuracy from 12 yards until we reached the point when Shaqiri had made it 5-4. John Terry had come on in extra-time to add another defender to an already desperate rearguard action. But he declined the opportunity to take one of the spot-kicks. Instead it was left to Lukaku and the striker finished the night with his head in his hands.
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Telegraph:
Bayern Munich 2 Chelsea 2 (aet); Bayern win 5-4 on pens
By Henry Winter, at Eden Stadium
The first rule of football is: do not play games with German goalkeepers at penalty shoot-outs. They are too good, too experienced. When Romelu Lukaku placed the ball on the spot on Friday night, Manuel Neuer retreated into his goal, the net on his back.
As Lukaku stepped back, Neuer advanced to the line, dominating the centre of the goal, so imposing, the outcome inevitable. Lukaku tried to be clever. Perhaps he felt he could be Didier Drogba, whose emphatic penalty had beaten Neuer to settle the 2012 Champions Leaguefinal in the Allianz.
Lukaku tried to deceive Neuer with his run-up, with his side-footed address of the ball but the keeper guessed correctly, held his ground and a poor kick carried inexorably towards him as if bidden.
Lukaku should have done what David Luiz did for Chelsea’s first penalty; absolutely no messing around, no games, just a fierce run-up and the ball drilled hard and fast to one side of Neuer, who could not react in time.
Lukaku gave Neuer a chance. The German international saved easily, Bayern prevailed and once again Pep Guardiola had outwitted Jose Mourinho, who has now beaten the Spaniard only three times in 16 attempts.
As Lukaku held his head in his hands, Neuer darted to his left to console Petr Cech and then celebrated with his jubilant Bayern colleagues.
This was only the Super Cup, only the early-season loosener between the winners of theEuropa League and the Champions League, but this contained all the gravitas of a major final, all spiced with fabulous goals, endless commitment, even a red card.
Both sides gave everything. It meant everything to both managers.
Guardiola delivered two impassioned talks at the end of normal time and then extra-time. Mourinho kept gesturing to Chelsea fans to make even more noise, although they were never going to compete with the deafening Bavarian choirs, who ended the night singing “Football’s Coming Home’’ after Lukaku’s miss.
Lukaku was inconsolable. Michael Essien, showing experience and compassion, man-marked the distraught young striker for 15 minutes afterwards. Demba Ba embraced him, so did Eden Hazard. Bayern’s centre-halves, Daniel van Buyten, Jerome Boateng and particularly Dante demonstrated their class by leaving their jubilant colleagues to have a quiet few words with Lukaku.
Dignity in victory should be a staple in sport but sadly it so often fails to surface in football. In truth, and this may be something that needs addressing internally at Cobham, some famous Chelsea names were slow to console Lukaku.
Maybe they were angry with his style. Maybe they were just awash with frustration at this denouement. They had gone so close, gone to within seconds of victory, playing with only 10 men for 35 minutes after Ramires was deservedly dismissed. But then Javi Martínez equalised at the end of extra time with a finish of admirable composure.
They left empty-handed but there were so many positives for Chelsea to take home, from the memory of the exceptional, almost unbelievable goalkeeping of Cech, who made three astonishing saves, to the magnificent resistance of Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and Luiz, to Oscar, lithe of frame but so big of heart. The Brazilian tracked back and tackled and chased and closed down, doing all the dirty work as well as playing some beautiful passes.
And Frank Lampard? For two hours the 35-year-old was everywhere, mocking Old Father Time, frustrating Bayern, surging upfield and converting his penalty unerringly.
Ditto Ashley Cole. For 120 minutes, the England left-back faced Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, and occasionally Thomas Müller and eventually Mario Götze, four horsemen of a footballing apocalypse, but he never slowed, never stopped believing. Like Lampard, Cole took his penalty with utter nervelessness. They did not deserve to finish as losers.
Chelsea had started so well. Guardiola had predicted the shape of Mourinho’s tactics, praising him pre-match as the “master of quick, quick counter-attacks’’ and Chelsea confirmed the Bayern coach’s theory after eight minutes. They raced upfield via Ivanovic’s throw-in, Torres’s linkwork, Eden Hazard’s dribble, André Schürrle’s first-time cross and then Torres’s unstoppable finish. They covered 80 metres in 13 seconds, totally catching Bayern cold.
But Bayern have so much class. They have Ribéry. Chelsea failed to settle quickly enough after the restart. Bayern fans were taunting Chelsea with a fairly caustic chant. Ribéry had been trying long-rangers all night and this one worked, flying past Cech, who was caught napping. Ribéry celebrated by rushing across and embracing Guardiola. Bayern fans somehow increased the noise.
Back came Chelsea, Ramires winning a corner off Dante after good approach work by Schürrle. From Lampard’s corner, Luiz flicked on and Ivanovic headed against the bar. Neuer was then equal to Schürrle’s follow-up.
Chelsea countered again, this time through Oscar, who was fouled, giving Lampard a chance to lift a free-kick into the box. Luiz met it powerfully but was denied by Neuer. Ramires was then dismissed, earning a second yellow, for going in studs-up on Götze. Chelsea had a chance to prevent extra-time when Luiz had a free-kick but his shot crashed into the wall.
Drawing on their resilience, Chelsea scored in the first half of extra-time. Hazard’s run was good but the marking of Philipp Lahm, now at right-back, and then Boateng was really poor. Neuer was embarrassed by Hazard’s shot. Mourinho tightened the team, preparing his 10 men for the inevitable siege. Oscar was now right, John Obi Mikel and the superb Lampard central with Hazard left. Torres made way for Lukaku.
Chelsea’s defending was remarkable. Ivanovic headed out. Cahill stood tall in the face of a Martínez strike. Lampard blocked from Götze. Cech then pushed away a header from Mario Mandzukic and then from Martínez.
Cech continued to perform miracles, but was then beaten by the calmest finish from Martínez, setting up that shoot-out.
The kicks were of the highest order until the last. David Alaba scored the first before Luiz then slammed in his kick. Toni Kroos coolly slotted his low, Oscar drove his in before Lahm confidently steered his away from Cech.
The Bayern fans whistled as Lampard stepped up but he held his nerve. Then came Ribéry, who made no mistake. Cole’s penalty needed a post, and he held a silencing finger to his lips towards the Bayern fans. Xherdan Shaqiri’s kick was almost saved by Cech. But then up stepped Lukaku.
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Mail:
Bayern Munich 2 Chelsea 2 (aet, 5-4 on pens):
Lukaku's misses decisive penalty as Guardiola continues hoodoo over Mourinho with Super Cup win
By MARTIN SAMUEL
The centre half scored. So did the little Brazilian No 10. And the central midfielder. Not to mention the left back. The striker missed. The irony will not be lost on Jose Mourinho, once the fury has subsided.
He will know how close he was here. To a first trophy in his second coming as Chelsea manager; to getting an early one in on Pep Guardiola.
There were seconds in it, no more. Chelsea were leading 2-1 with extra time injury time already being played.
They repelled attack after attack, massed defensive ranks soaking it up as they always do. They were down to 10 men, as they so often are at moments like this. It was a familiar script. And then, deviation.
The ball fell to Dante, he prodded it to Javi Martinez and his low shot beat Petr Cech at his near post. For the first time, the UEFA Super Cup was to be decided on penalties.
There is history here, animosity, too. It runs deeper than Pep Guardiola versus Jose Mourinho. Chelsea killed Bayern Munich’s dream at their home final in 2012. That isn’t forgotten in a hurry.
As one would expect from teams packed with Brazilians and Germans, the penalties were exceptional. England held its end up surprisingly well, too.
Ashley Cole was fortunate to score off the inside of a post, Cech got a hand to the penalty of Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri.
The rest were close to perfect: David Luiz, Oscar and Frank Lampard for Chelsea, Jerome Boateng, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery for Bayern Munich. And with the score at 5-4 to the European champions, Romelu Lukaku stepped up to keep Chelsea in the game.
He failed, that is the politest way to put it. His effort was soft and lacking in confidence, Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer guessed right and got much of his body behind the shot.
After all the debate around the worth of strikers this last week, it was no great advert for the goalscorers’ union.
The match itself was, though. Chelsea looked an entirely different team from their conservative, toothless appearance at Old Trafford, all false nines and stout defence.
Yes, the back four were the stars here, too — particularly Gary Cahill and Luiz in the centre — but that was due to a numerical disadvantage caused by the dismissal of Ramires.
Before that, Chelsea had caught the eye with blistering counter-attacking football and the cutting edge provided by Fernando Torres.
He put the Europa League champions ahead after eight minutes and one cannot help thinking he may have been a better bet to take that final penalty, had he not been swapped for Lukaku six minutes into extra time.
Mourinho could not be blamed for that. Chelsea were leading, Torres was tiring and Lukaku is a physically imposing figure. Yet there is something special about Torres in Europe.
The man who took Chelsea’s opener is unrecognisable as the problem child whose £50million transfer has suited him like a lead weight.
From the start, Chelsea worried Munich’s back line and Guardiola’s deployment of Kroos as a forward sweeper in what was, at times, a five-man defence was an indication of the respect for that threat.
Torres will have been doing a lot of thinking this week, too. There was the team sheet at Manchester United that did not include his name, or that of any front-line goalscorer at the club. Then in came a true rival in Samuel Eto’o. Yet if Torres had a point to prove to Mourinho, he did so after just eight minutes.
Eden Hazard carried the ball through the centre and in doing so left Rafinha, the right back, in his wake. The Brazilian made some panicky attempts at matching his stride, but to no avail.
Hazard fed Andre Schurrle and his cross was met first-time by Torres with a simply ferocious shot that beat Neuer in Bayern’s goal. It was a brilliant start, a brilliant finish — Mourinho’s Chelsea at their best.
Yet Chelsea could not possibly have it their own way for long against this level of opposition and so it proved. Stung by the early deficit, Munich pressed and Ribery was soon showing why he was crowned UEFA’s Footballer of the Year for 2012-13.
It was a trademark Ribery approach that did the damage, receiving the ball high on the left, he cut inside and unleashed a shot that defeated Cech at his near post.
Then, the moment that tilted the balance of power. Ramires, already booked for a trip on Ribery, was shown a second yellow card for a two-footed tackle on substitute Mario Gotze.
No matter, at first at least, because Chelsea scored. No striker required this time, Hazard in the Ribery role, cutting in from the flank and beating Neuer who was inexplicably slow to react.
And so, the minutes ticked away, Munich laid siege, Chelsea resisted. We thought we knew how this one ended. Instead, Munich gave us a twist.
No twist in the managerial head-to-head, though. It is still just three wins for Mourinho against Guardiola over 16 matches.
Moral victories don’t count.
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