Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (May 21st) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers.
On This Day in 2008 - Man Utd beat Chelsea on penalties to win 3rd UCL title
The 2008 UCL final was contested by Manchester United and Chelsea, making it an all-English club final for the first time in the history of the competition.
Manchester United won the match 6–5 on penalties, after a 1–1 draw following extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 26th minute with a header from a cross by Wes Brown, but Frank Lampard equalised shortly before half-time.
The second half and most of extra time passed without incident until Chelsea's Didier Drogba was sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidić four minutes from the end. In the penalty shoot-out, Ronaldo missed Manchester United's third kick, giving John Terry the chance to win the game for Chelsea, only for him to slip and hit the post. Edwin van der Sar then saved Nicolas Anelka's effort from Chelsea's seventh kick to give Manchester United their third European Cup title.
On This Day in 2003 - Mourinho won his 1st European honor with Porto
Porto won the UEFA Cup, beating Celtic 3-2 in extra time at Seville's Estadio Olímpico. It was the first European honor for Porto manager José Mourinho, who built on the success by winning the Champions League the next season.
Porto's midfield general Deco orchestrated a first-half attack that put his side ahead in the 45th minute as midfielder Dmitri Alenichev's shot was parried by Celtic keep Robert Douglas into the path of Porto's Brazilin forward, Derlei, who drove it home. The lead did not last long, however, as Henrik Larsson - that year's top SPL scorer - equalized with a 47th-minute header.
Two more quick goals followed, with Alenichev putting Porto ahead once more in the 54th minute, then Larsson finding another equalizer in the 57th minute. The teams were stalemated at 2-2 through the end of regulation, forcing the match into extra time. Neither team scored in the first period, so they played the full allotment of time. In the 115th minute, Derlei again pounced on a Douglas block to score the goal and seal the win.
It was Porto's first European trophy in 16 years, but they would not have to wait as long for the next one, as they beat AS Monaco in the next season's Champions League Final.
On This Day in 2005 - Arsenal beat Man United to lift FA Cup
Arsenal became the first team to win the FA Cup via a penalty shoot-out, despite being outplayed throughout the game, after neither side managed to score in the initial 90 minutes or in 30 minutes of extra time.
Jens Lehmann made the crucial save from Paul Scholes as the destination of the trophy was decided on penalties for the first time in its history.
United were left empty-handed after Wayne Rooney hit the post and Freddie Ljungberg deflected Ruud van Nistelrooy's header on to the bar. Jose Antonio Reyes was sent off before Patrick Vieira's deciding penalty.
United were in control for almost the entire match, but German goalkeeper Lehmann was in inspired form, saving brilliantly from Scholes in extra-time and then producing the stop that won the Cup for Arsenal.
Van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney and Roy Keane were on the mark for United in the shoot-out, but Arsenal's spot-kicks were flawless.
On This Day in 1986 - Juve striker Mandžukić was born
Mandžukić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus. Besides being a prolific goalscorer, he is known for his defensive contribution and aerial power.
In his youth, Mario Mandzukic was often compared to Croatian great Alen Boksic, but the forward from Slavonski Brod long ago surpassed the achievements of his renowned predecessor. Mandzukic counts many more goals and trophies to his name at club level, while he has scored three times as many as Boksic’s ten for the national team, trailing only Davor Suker on 45 in the all-time Croatian rankings.
During their time together at Bayern, Guardiola said that Mario was the best in the world at heading when inside an opponent's penalty area.
In his first season with the club he won three trophies; the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and the Champions League, while also becoming the first Croat to score in a UCL final. After winning a domestic double the following season, he left Bayern for Atlético in 2014, and a season later was signed by Juventus for €19 million, where he won the domestic double in his first three seasons. In the 2017 UCL final match against Madrid, he scored his second goal in a UCL final, an overhead kick arcing past the keeper that earned him UEFA Goal of the Season award.
At international level, he participated in four major tournaments with his national side, Euro 2012, the 2014 World Cup, Euro 2016, and the 2018 World Cup, reaching the final of the latter tournament, after which he retired from international football.