Porto e Mónaco vão-se defrontar no próximo dia 26 de Maio na Alemanha, para decidir o vencedor da Liga dos Campeões, apenas a mais importante competição de clubes do mundo. Já todos sabemos que não era final desejada pelos dirigentes da UEFA, devido principalmente à transmissão televisão. Pela primeira vez desde 1991, que nenhuma das equipas a actuar no 4 maiores campeonatos da Europa vai marcar presença na final. Mas, uma coisa é certa, estas duas equipas estão na final por direito próprio, pela vontade de demonstraram ao longo da época e pelo emprenho dos seus jogadores/treinadores. Aproveito e deixo um belo texto, retirado do site da CNN.
"Some say having Monaco and Porto in the Champions League final will be a nightmare for UEFA and the Champions League sponsors: low ratings, small TV markets, a lack of top-tier stars and a general absence of media interest.
Some say these two sides are, if not undeserving, certainly lucky -- finalists who got this far thanks in part to some obvious refereeing mistakes.
And some say neither of these teams will make a splash for quite some time, since their coveted managers -- Didier Deschamps and Jose Mourinho, both of whom were instrumental in their clubs' success -- are likely to move elsewhere this season.
All of the above is correct, to some degree.
The game in Gelsenkirchen on May 26 won't match the star power of recent finals. The closest Porto has to a household name is Deco, a fine player, but not one who has carried his team in Europe this season. Monaco offers up Fernando Morientes, the competition's top scorer, but also a guy who was forgotten and unwanted over the summer, discarded by Real Madrid, which did not feel he was fit to mix with Los Galacticos.
Monaco needed the away-goals rule to get to the semifinals and benefited from a brazen handball by Hugo Ibarra against Chelsea. Had it not been for a controversial (and, frankly, incorrect) offside decision, Porto would have been knocked out in the second round by Manchester United.
And -- it's just about a done deal by now -- Mourinho will be moving to Chelsea next season, while Deschamps is courted by a number of clubs, including Juventus.
Yet none of this diminishes the importance of what will take place at the AufSchalke stadium, or takes away the achievements of Porto and Monaco.
No, they're not the two best teams in Europe. But then, if you believe the two best teams in Europe contest the Champions League final, you probably left something for the Tooth Fairy last night as well. The best teams don't often reach the final -- rather, those teams that raise their game in the Champions League and show resilience and character get this far. And both have shown plenty.
Porto may not always be pleasing to the eye, but it's often a tactical masterpiece, as it showed against Deportivo La Coruna and United. This is a team of underrated, unsung heroes such as Paulo Ferreira, Nuno Valente and the magnificent Maniche, who, on the European stage this season, has shown all the presence and authority of a Patrick Vieira.
Everybody has a role at Porto and fulfills it perfectly. Those who are creative, such as Deco and Carlos Alberto, are free to create, those who win the ball, such as veteran Jorge Costa and midfielder Costinha, battle gamely. But always there is balance.
When given the right service in the right position, a good player can perform like a great player. Mourinho's approach is all about putting good players in situations where they can do great things. It will be interesting to see what happens when he leaves Porto -- without question he will be a very difficult act to follow.
As for Monaco, Deschamps built a team in his own image. The former French "water-carrier" carved out an impressive career for himself not by being particularly talented, but by being intelligent, hard-working and, above all, never giving up. That's what Monaco is all about, as it showed coming from behind in each of its knockout ties.
Two years ago, Monaco finished 15th in Ligue 1. Last summer it was technically bankrupt and only avoided automatic relegation thanks to a last-minute injection of private funds. Deschamps found himself with little money to spend, a mountain of debt and a squad that looked as if it was going nowhere.
He brought in players on loan, most of whom were rejected by other clubs and looking to exact some vengeance: Edouard Cisse from Paris St. Germain, Hugo Ibarra cast out of (ironically) Porto and, of course, Morientes. He was left with a tiny squad and, to add insult to injury, lost his top scorer from last season, Shabhani Nonda to injury.
But he didn't give up. He took a left-back, Patrice Evra, who had been languishing in the Italian third division, and turned him into a scaled-down version of Roberto Carlos. He turned Dado Prso, whose career looked to be going nowhere 12 months ago, into one of the Champions League's most prolific scorers. And he exploited Ludovic Giuly and Jerome Rothen to perfection, turning them into one of the most effective wide threats in Europe.
One of these two teams will be crowned champion of Europe on May 26. But neither will be the loser, for both have already won just by getting this far. An anticlimactic final? Maybe. But only if you think seeing two of Europe's best young managerial minds leading against-all-odds performances is anticlimactic."
Gabriele Marcotti
excelente artigo.
muito bons os comentarios à equipa do fcporto, demonstrando um conhecimento aprofundado do tema
"Had it not been for a controversial (and, frankly, incorrect) offside decision, Porto would have been knocked out in the second round by Manchester United."
Hey ... vendo o resultado final (1-1), somando esse golo mal anulado ficava 2-1, o jogo ia a prolongamento e não era assim tão evidente que o Porto ficasse pelo caminho.