With one game to go in the UEFA Champions League, it's difficult not to look back and relive the best matches along the road that lead to Munich's Allianz Arena.
For the first time in the modern history of the tournament, the hosts will compete in the final. Bayern Munich is considered the favorites to lift the trophy and inevitably celebrate in front of a joyous home audience with a sea of red and white confetti raining down from the sky above. It would be the storybook ending that turns players into legends and teams forever revered.
Chelsea will be looking to crush that fairytale and create one of their own, riding a wave of momentum and good fortune all the way to the final. Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo has been the lucky charm, steering the Blues from the brink of elimination and through a difficult journey to Saturday's final.
Littered along the path are plenty of sorrow and heartache -- ambitions never realized, missed opportunities and everything in-between. The shocking elimination of Manchester United and Manchester City tilted the table of uncertainty, while the amazing Cinderella run of APOEL FC and FC Basel heightened the unpredictability going into the knockout rounds.
Choosing the best 10 matches was difficult, especially since there was a contingent of deserving candidates. There were many things to consider: hard-fought comebacks, shocking upsets, record-setting individual performances and marathon finishes -- everything was studied and scrutinized. But after much thought and deliberation, this is what I came up with.
To read my Top 10 List, click on the link below...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/05/17/uefa_champions_league_cheslea_bayern_munich/
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