Chelsea legend Petr Cech has recalled his exact reaction during one key moment in the 2008 Champions League final between Manchester United and the Blues.
Manchester United punched their ticket to the 2008 Champions League final after a 1-0 second-leg win over Barcelona at Old Trafford in the semi-finals.
The Red Devils held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Camp Nou before Paul Scholes scored a stunning long-range screamer in the return leg.
Chelsea, on the other hand, reached the final of the Champions League after overcoming Premier League rivals Liverpool in the semi-finals.
The Blues secured a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield in the first leg before Chelsea beat the Reds 3-2 in the return leg at Stamford Bridge.
Cech’s message in Champions League final
Manchester United took the lead in the 2008 Champions League final after Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net with a superb header.
However, Chelsea legend Frank Lampard pulled back an all-important equaliser for the Blues before half-time at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
The 1-1 scoreline in regular playing time forced the Champions League tie to extra time before both teams stepped up for the penalty shootout.
Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick both converted from the spot-kick, while Michael Ballack and Juliano Belletti found the back of the net for Chelsea.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up for the Red Devils’ third spot-kick and Petr Cech denied the United legend’s penalty.
Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole both converted from the spot-kick, while United bounced back from the Ronaldo setback after Owen Hargreaves and Nani scored.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Petr Cech admitted the message he kept telling himself was for John Terry not to “cross” Edwin van der Sar with his shot.
“Yeah, when I saved that penalty and we were scoring ours with confidence, I was thinking, ‘We’re going to do it,’” Cech said.
“But the worst thing about it was this: as a goalkeeper, you’re on the side of the goal. You have to be outside the box, on that left side of the post.
“When we got to the last penalty and JT [John Terry] took the ball, I was just thinking, ‘Don’t cross the keeper with your shot.’
“I was sure Edwin der Sar would dive, expecting JT to shoot across him, so I was thinking, ‘Shoot my side and let’s see what happens.’”
Cech on Terry miss vs Man Utd
John Terry fell short of sealing the Champions League trophy for Chelsea after he slipped during his penalty against Edwin van der Sar in the final.
The Chelsea legend saw his strike come bouncing off the post and the penalty shootout subsequently continued, despite sending Van der Sar the wrong way.
Anderson scored for United before Kalou found the back of the net for Chelsea, with Ryan Giggs stepping up and converting for the Red Devils.
Van der Sar then produced his heroics after superbly denying Nicolas Anelka and sealing the Champions League trophy for United.
Speaking on Terry’s miss, Cech continued: “When I saw Edwin dive the other way and the ball coming to my side, I jumped up, as I thought that was it.
“Then I saw the ball pass the post, which looked very strange from my angle. It took me a couple of seconds to realise what had happened. Then I had to quickly deal with all of the emotion and get back to business.
“We ended up on the wrong end of that final, but that’s part of football, or any top-level sport.
“Sometimes you come close and have to deal with the disappointment. It wasn’t meant to be.”
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