In order to be in position for the post-match interviews, it was necessary to leave my seat in the East Stand at Stamford Bridge a few minutes before the end of the Champions League semi-final second leg.
At that stage Chelsea were 1-0 up and dreaming of a second successive final appearance against Manchester United. All roads were leading to Rome.
Leaving the stadium and coming back in again through the tunnel entrance Chelsea club staff were already hugging and giving each other high fives as Michael Essien’s wonder goal looked like being enough to see them through.
The magic laminated pass with the colour coded star got me into the tunnel and through to a small room off the main hallway where a rabble of reporters gathered around the one television monitor, the only one in the entire area.
And there, in the midst of them all was the tall imposing figure of Eric Abidal, the Barcelona defender who had been sent-off minutes previously. Come to think of it, where else could he watch the unfolding drama?
Deep into added time and Iniesta’s incredible strike led to shrieks of delight among many of the hacks and howls of misery from the Chelsea staff. Meanwhile, the golden goal saw Abidal literally hit the roof and the Frenchman wheeled out of the small room in raptures, this despite the fact that the red card would mean that he would miss the showpiece final.
The last few minutes were spine-tingling but the real drama was still to come. Chelsea’s penalty claims certainly had merit and Ballack’s reaction said a lot, the normally stoical German coursing the referee like a greyhound after a hare. At the final whistle, the Chelsea players were up in arms, many perhaps realising that it may have been their last chance at Champions League glory.
Didier Drogba, of course, took things to extremes and received a yellow card for his protests aimed towards Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo.
Meanwhile in the tunnel, voices were raised as some of the Chelsea players made their way back to the dressing rooms.
'That’s a disgrace, an absolute disgrace,' said Frank Lampard in language a little more colourful than that. John Terry, the Chelsea captain, followed him in and rounded on a UEFA official. 'You got what you wanted,' blasted Terry. 'It’s true what the papers said. I don’t know why we bothered turning up!' Terry was wound up and understandably furious, the adrenalin still pumping.
'You just didn’t want an all-English final,” he said while accusing UEFA of cheating.
Chelsea caretaker-boss Guus Hiddink was a little more reserved when he entered the tunnel but he too went straight to the man in the blue blazer to voice his frustration. Hiddink has been around the game at the highest level for a long time but this was, he felt, the worst he had ever seen.
Then like a loud herd the rest of the Chelsea players emerged, most notably Drogba, who made directly for the referee’s room. He started banging on the door while screaming at the top of his voice. Already on a yellow for his protests he would surely have seen red if the referee had dared to emerge from his room. However, expect the man in the blue blazer to report the matter to UEFA and expect further censure for Chelsea.
Conspiracy theorists will love the notion that the Norwegian referee was got at, that he was under instruction to make things easier for Barcelona, although that idea seems an almost impossible absurdity.
However, there is no doubt that the Champions League final is now between two of the biggest brands in world football, no longer just clubs of their respective countries and regions but phenomenal global marketing vehicles.
Why UEFA didn’t give the semi-final to a referee who plies his trade in a more competitive league like the German or Italian competitions is bizarre. Mr Henning Ovrebo has taken charge of 21 Champions League ties but became the most controversial figure in a fascinating drama.
Later on, just before midnight and following word of death threats which the police were taking seriously, the referee and his team of officials were escorted to their new hotel, the location changed because of security reasons.
Only a Game? I hardly think so.
Tony O'Donoghue is RTÉ Soccer Correspondent
