Days Before: Manchester United was in the Champions League Finals, and we all were planning, where to watch the match. Initially Avon Ruby wasn’t available for late night matches, so a screening was out of question. The moderators of the main Manchester United community on Orkut were planning to get together in Goa, people from Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore & even Mumbai were going to meet up in Goa to watch the match together. I was extremely tempted, as I have never been to Goa before. But then out of the blue, Sumit struck some kinda deal with Avon Ruby & we were all set to have a screening for the Champions League Finals.
Night Before: I couldn’t sleep and was online all night, talking to a friend of mine, Vignesh (Chelsea Fan). We were talking about silly reasons why our respective clubs would win the Finals. They too were having a screening somewhere in Mumbai. We wanted to have a joint screening but somehow couldn’t arrange it. Anyways after hours of talks and deliberations, I somehow managed to sleep, dreaming about the most glorious day in my life.
Hours Before: It was time to leave home for the screening, with my laptop & speakers; I left for Dadar, a few hours before the match. It felt like I was going on a war or something. I was never this nervous, not even during exams. On my way I kept talking to Sumit, who told me we were expecting more than 100 people at the screening. We were extremely nervous about how were we going to accommodate so many people. I picked up lots of booze on the way, as it was going to be a long long night.
Minutes Before: We played around one hour of pre match videos, including some emotional videos from the Munich Tragedy, Busby Babes videos & videos of United’s previous European triumphs in 1968 & 1999. Meanwhile the place had filled up, absolutely jam-packed till the end. The excitement & anxiety could be felt in the hall, as everyone waited for the match to start. Myself along with Nandan, Saumil & Gaurant took our customary seats in the front.
Champions League Finals: I guess, I don’t have to say much about the match, as everyone knows what happened. United took the lead through ‘That Boy Ronaldo’, but Chelsea had equalized just before half time, through Lampard. The match went into extra time & then penalties. Many people couldn’t even bare to look at the screen. We decided to hold hands, like the players, through the penalties. When Ronaldo missed, I started visualizing how the whole world was going to blame him, even after the fantastic season he had and how he couldn’t score in big matches & big situations. We had lost all hope, especially when we saw John Terry, Mr Chelsea, stepping up to take the decisive penalty, which could win it for Chelsea. But then out of nowhere Terry slipped & his kick hit the post. I cannot describe the noise we made that time. Suddenly all hope was back, and the word ‘B.E.L.I.E.V.E’ was in everyone’s mind. Anderson & Giggs coolly slotted their respective kicks. All the pressure was on Chelsea, especially on Anelka, as he had just come on before the penalties. As soon as VDS stopped Anelka’s stop, people went mad.
Minutes After: I had tears in my eyes and I couldn’t stop hugging everyone. We were singing & shouting chants and songs, on top our voices. By the time the match ended, I was completely drunk. People told me later that I was standing on this chair, singing & shouting, for about an hour and refused to come down even after the match & presentations ceremony. Anyways, after about 2 hours of post match celebrations, drinking & head banging to Rock Songs, everyone left to head home. On my way home I wished I could die, as I was never going to be happier than this.
Hours After: I reached home at about 5-6 am, absolutely drunk & exhausted. Even then I couldn’t help myself & went online, to read reactions on all forums and read the interviews of players & managers, after the match. After about 1-2 hours of reading & watching pictures of United’s victory, I went to sleep, with the satisfaction of having watched United win the European Trophy.
Night After: Next day I woke up with a bad hang over. Immediately went online, met many of my friends online, spent the whole day, reading about last night, trying to download videos. I thought of calling Vignesh, as I knew he would have been heart broken, but then decided to let him be for few days. Sometime during the day, Sumit called and informed me that we had 111 people during the screening, which was an all time record.
Days After: I always had this regret that I hadn’t watched the 1999 season, especially the dramatic finals. I always wondered, when would United would win the Champions League, in my lifetime. It couldn’t have happened at a better time or year. With this win, they earned their third European Cup title and kept up their record of never having lost a major European final. Coincidentally, this season marked the 100th year since Manchester United won their first League title, 50 years after the Munich air disaster and 40 years after Manchester United became the first ever-English side to win the European Cup.
My life long dream was fulfilled, now I could die happily, knowing that I had watched Manchester United win the biggest trophy possible.Sunil Thakur
