The Chelsea team celebrate after a goal in their 2-2 draw with Juventus.

I am not sure how I should start this, so I will just cut to the chase. Chelsea are less efficient. Gone are the days when they could knock the stuffing out of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, which incidentally isn’t a long-lost tale, but rather one which took place in May, hardly five months ago, and over 80 million pounds have been spent since then, making them much better on paper. Eden Hazard showed promising skills, and still looks to be the next ‘Big Thing’ in the English Premier League. Oscar showed his class in our match against Juventus on Wednesday night, netting two goals in as many minutes. Yet, they tied against a lowly QPR, a Juventus, which, although impressive, weren’t unassailable, lost to a Manchester City, which could be excused, and got absolutely pummelled to within inches of their lives by an extremely unfancied Atletico Madrid.

Warning signs of some sort?

Hardly. Chelsea’s warning signs arrived in their disastrous pre-season friendlies, after which they had time for improvisation. Did they improvise? They may have tried out some new stuff, but their report card does not lie.

Fernando Torres has failed to strike for Chelsea.

It is not that their defence is leaking goals but their attack has failed them in every single match. It looks like Chelsea is playing without a striker, as Fernando Torres, who no longer lives in the shadow of Drogba, still isn’t at his best. It’s very hard to predict where the goals would come from. Many have Torres in their Fantasy Premier League team as Chelsea has the least no of strikers and it is certain that Torres will start every game but it doesn’t guarantee he will score. Who would have thought that a 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder Oscar, making his debut for Chelsea, would score two goals against a keeper like Gianlugi Buffon and leave Torres staring in awe?

Chelsea’s Champions League winning tactics were simple — stay at the back, draw the others to yourself, frustrate them and run like the wind if you get the ball. Yes, I am talking about the [in]famous ‘Bus’. One of the most hated and result-oriented tactics, it simply bored the socks off of people who wanted to see the Chelsea strikers in action, barring the 30 seconds of glory each one had when they found the back of the net.

But my point is why is it that Chelsea and Abramovic are after ‘beautiful football’? Since when did playing to one’s strengths become a crime? I am neither promoting nor condoning the ‘Bus’, all I know is that it worked. What I want is my team to succeed, just like any other fan. Our attacking line-up has incredible speed in the likes of Hazard, Torres and Ramires, so why are we not utilising our resources? Frustrate your opponents and murder them on the counter attack.

They say that the ‘Bus’ is boring, but if you like watching football you must have yelled in delight every single time Barcelona or Bayern Munich attempted to find the back of the net. So where’s the boring bit? It is as simple as that, work on the tactics that gives you results, doesn’t matter what people say. The Chelsea faithful will always be behind their team no matter how they play. It is indeed time they did what Barcelona did, not giving two hoots to the jealous rivals condemning their own style, going forth and giving it their best possible shot.

The two new signings — Lucas Podolski and new Arsenal icon Santi Cazorla — scored for the Gunners. However, a big question mark looms over the suitability of the third signing — Olivier Giroud — as a replacement for the mercurial RVP who scored all the three goals for United against Southampton the same night. Giroud missed a sitter at Anfield, the second one in two matches, leaving the fans doubting his prowess as a quality striker.

While Podolski and Cazorla appear to have settled in, Giroud is struggling to come to terms of the strains of EPL and the expectation of supporters who have not yet got over the sheer disappointment in the loss of their erstwhile captain and talisman Robin Van Persie.

The saga over the transfer of RVP had hogged the limelight of the entire transfer season. Arsene Wenger knew instinctively that he would be able to persuade RVP to continue at the Emirates and he snapped up Podolski quite early in the transfer season and swooped on Santi Cazorla, easily the best buy of the Gunners in a long, long time. Cazorla, who comes on as a substitute in his national side Spain, is a delightful player to watch. That Spain has emerged as the leading nation in football over the last few years, is amply evident that it can leave a player of the caliber of Cazorla on the bench, who can literally walk into any other national team. Santi Cazorla has weaved spells of magic in all the three matches and supporters have found at last someone to cheer for. Podolski is improving in every outing — his searing runs and the predatory approach has earned him accolades. Additionally, he is helping out the defence by falling back and shouldering enormous workload.

Again the spotlight shifts to Giroud, who has to vindicate the faith reposed in him by Wenger by giving him starts in every outing thus far.

The team for a change looks solid in defence and has yet to concede a goal in the first three outings despite fielding the third choice goalie, which is a record of a sort. Steve Bould, the new Assistant coach, an Arsenal legend, has done great work to make the defence strong. This was a major weak point of the Gunners in the last few years as the defence leaked in goals by trying to lay off-side traps. It appears that the zonal marking system that used be a part of Arsenal’s strategy in the past has been put in place and the defence under the leadership of captain Vermaelen is holding out strong.

Let me revert to the basic question whether Arsene Wenger has got is right. It has been seven barren years since Arsenal won any silverware. The pressure is mounting on Wenger. The last few years has witnessed an exodus of quality players, who have sought greener pastures. It is bad for any great club to be regarded as a “selling club”, which looks to reap in profits by buying young talent cheap and sell them later at fancy prices. Despite rumours of a marquee signing before the closure of the transfer window, Wenger could not land any other player of significance. He has to stick to his current squad. The bench does look infinitely better if all the injured players like Wilshere, Sagna become fit to resume. Some of the young talents like Gnabry are already ready to don the colours of the first team. But again, the question remains if this squad has the potential to score more goals that what RVP alone scored in the last season which virtually ensured a last gasp Championship place. Will Wenger be in a position to challenge the ilk of Manchester City, Manchester United or for that matter Chelsea? Or will he be content with a third or fourth place finish? Wenger knows that he is testing the patience of supporters who are desperately seeking silverware and return of the glory days. Wenger is skating on thin ice. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood confirms his club cannot match the money power of City or Chelsea, yet he feels that Arsenal could make a serious attempt to win the league this season.

Arsene Wenger is fully aware that he has to deliver this time around or next year he himself could be up for sale.

The season will live in everyone’s memories, especially Man City fans, as they ended a 44-year wait, living in the shadows of their rivals before finally dethroning them in a way which we have seen being done by Man United themselves over years and years. The noisy neighbours have painted the city of Manchester in blue and have become a force to reckon with after being injected with fresh funds.

On the other hand, Chelsea FC, the club which finished sixth in England, went to claim the best club tittle in Europe while continuing with their monopolistic domination in the FA Cup by winning it four times in the last six years. So Chelsea’s gain was Tottenham’s pain, which, despite finishing fourth, automatically got disqualified as Chelsea took their spot to compete in Europe as the defending champions.

Will this affect Tottenham’s season this year? Will Manchester City continue their domination in England? Will Chelsea aim to be the best in England or to retain the tag of being the best in Europe? How will Manchester United respond to their heartbreaking loss on the final day as City snatched the title away?

Here’s an analysis of the clubs who will be aiming for glory this season:

Manchester City

Being crowned the champions last season, fans will expect the team to flourish in Europe this season. But they will try to hold on to the league title as tightly as they can or at least see to it that rivals Man United is not the team to take it away from them. Having spent a fortune in the last two-three years, Man City haven’t added to an already star-studded squad but they have secured their title-winning manager Roberto Mancini for five more years. This will make the City fans happy. But it remains to be seen how much faith the owners will have on him if somehow he fails to win anything at all this season.

Chelsea FC

After a disappointing start with Andre Villas Boas last season, Chelsea finished the league campaign on the sixth position — the lowest in the Abramovich era. But all was forgotten when they became the European champions under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, beating Bayern Munich in their own backyard and also claiming the FA Cup by beating Liverpool. Di Matteo secured a full-time job at Chelsea. But star striker Didier Drogba, whose decisive penalty won the champions league for Chelsea, left the club for Shanghai Shenhua after his contract expired. Abramovich made up for it instantly by signing two enormously talented wingers in Eden Hazard and Marko Marin from Lille and Werder Bremen, respectively. So it remains to be seen how the team shapes up with young blood coming in. Euro golden boot winner Fernando Torres, who thought his career was in jeopardy, can now carry the weight on his shoulders, something like what Drogba did for the last eight years.

Manchester United

The worst possible end to the season was faced by this club as their noisy neighbors stole the trophy in the last minute of the last game with the final kick into the net by Sergio Aguero as United players stood stunned in the Stadium of Light. They thought they will make up for their early exit from the Champions League but they left it too late. Now they will start their season with revenge on their mind — a feeling of redemption and getting back their lost respect after a trophy less season. They secured the signing of Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund who has immense talent and has won two Bundesliga titles with his old club. They are monitoring Luka Modric to dictate their midfield and possibly another defender as Rio Ferdinand is way past his prime. Also, captain Vidic is recovering from a long-term injury.

Arsenal

The chokers of the Premier League as the footy fans call them now. For the past seven years, Arsene Wenger has been trying his level best to replicate his ‘invincibles’ but has failed to do so or even win a trophy for that matter. Even though star players like Fabregas and Nasri left Arsenal last year, it did not affect the club’s performance as Wenger was quick to replace them with Arteta and Rosicky. But again, it comes down to trophies. If you work so hard for a year and end up winning nothing, then there is a problem with the moral of the team. This has taken its toll over their captain Robin Van Persie, without whom Arsenal would be in serious trouble. It seems inevitable that RVP will leave the club as well after he denied signing a contract extension. Fans were expecting a RVP-Podolski partnership which itself sounds menacing. But now it seems new boy Giroud has a lot to prove & form a partnership with Podolski to get the goals for them.

Tottenham Hotspurs

Even though they finished fourth last season, Chelsea’s dramatic penalty shootout win automatically disqualified them from their spot as the defending champions have to compete in the competition despite not being able to qualify in the top four spots in the league. Harry Redknapp was sacked after it was largely alleged that he was keeping his eye on the England job which meant a dismal end to the season for the London club behind their rivals Arsenal. New manager Andre Villas-Boas who replaced Redknapp has said he would be more consistent in his approach to the title and will also play a stronger team in the Europa League, a competition he won in 2011 with Porto. This is one club which doesn’t lack in ambition and is probably one of the most balanced squads in the league at the moment not lacking in any department. But after a heartbreaking finish to the season, it would take a lot of motivation for the young players to play at their best and try to be in the top four again. Their only signing till now is the dynamic Swansea midfielder Gylfi Siggurdson who had a fantastic season at his old club last year, but he will have to prove himself in training before getting a chance in the first team with the likes of Van Der Vaart, Bale, Lennon and Modric.

Winning three major trophies back to back and now eyeing World Cup in 2014, Spain’s complete blend of class and prowess won million hearts on Sunday. The last 10 minutes of the game were on and Italy were exhausted — no ball, no time and two goals to chase. Totally outclassed by the Reds, they conceded two more as the last nail was hammered on the Italian coffin.

Now look at perhaps the all-time greatest football team — the great Brazilians of Pelé, Tostao, Jairvinho, Rivelino and all. Is the current Spanish side comparable to the Brazilian team that won the 1970 World Cup? It is fact that Spain’s line-up is the best ever in their history that they can boast of. However, Spain perhaps has some miles to go before reaching the pinnacle of Pelé’s side and dominate world football like they had done once.

Currently going without rivals, without teams of their quality, Spain is enjoying a home run. Playing without a striker and without their main man Carles Puyol, they deserved the best of kudos and so they got it. Left Back Jordi Alba deserves a worthy mention. His spectacular dash clearly underlined the reason why Barcelona signed him for 14 million euros.

“They are not only the best team in the world but also that they might well be the best team ever to play football. No one player can defeat this Spanish machine,” says Diego Maradona about this team.

After Cristiano Ronaldo was left sulking over his performance in their last encounter and after a brilliant Balotelli took Italy to the final, some were wallowing in pleasure and somewhere tears flooded groups of heart-broken fans. It is the rule of the beautiful game where perhaps the same man breaks hearts and wins hearts.

In his column Diego Maradona wrote: “[Spain] demonstrated clearly that they are not only the best team in the world but also that they might well be the best team ever to play football.

“No one player can defeat this Spanish machine. Cristiano Ronaldo tried with Portugal, and the Spanish put a muzzle on him.

“[Andrea] Pirlo tried and the Spanish crowded him with four players sometimes.”

He also added: “Some of the pearls of this tournament came from individual champions.”

The Seleccao One-Man-Army spearheaded by Ronaldo, Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, veteran Andriy Shevchenko and of course Italian giant Andrea Pirlo stood out as single champions and were epitome of exceptional skill who would light the way for the later generations to come. But Spain showed what it is to play as a team and win as a team.

Spain surely could not be called invincible at this Euro since there were times when it was evident that they could be beaten, especially in their league stalemate with Italy when they drew 1-1 and later their 1-0 victories over minnows such as Ukraine.

They may be the best at the moment with their extraordinary feat, but it would be overestimating the La Roja to call them to have the best legs to have touched a football. Two years from now and all eyes shall be on this side. Can they retain their title?

Thankfully, football isn’t close to any boxing match, but should it go to the penalties, the knockout punch will be felt. And so, after three weeks of entertaining football, I saw these two teams again on a Sunday night, this time it was for the championships.

It was 1920 in Belgium’s Antwerp when Spain last won against Italy straight in a high-profile encounter. That was the year of Olympics and if we do not include penalties, one can safely say it has indeed been a long time. I didn’t want this to change and like the previous edition of Euro, I wanted these two teams to settle it out on penalty shootouts. It wasn’t to be as Spain proved to be very strong and too good for the Italians. The result speaks for itself — 4-0.

I have not seen a more dominant side in football for a period that involves three major competitions. France had it in them during their run when they won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euro, and Brazil prior to that. In 21st century, towards the end of the decade, the side more famously known as the “La Roja” showed their initial signs as world beaters.

So what makes this side so special? You only have to look at the players in the squad, and as any ardent football fan will tell you, the names do ring a bell in their heads, all the time. Barcelona is at the moment in a league of its own. Though Real Madrid showed little signs of a fightback, they are still few miles behind. Collectively, the core of the team that makes Barcelona the world’s most feared team happens to be the core of this Spanish team too. Add Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and Sergio Ramos, you have a combination that looks deadly.

Among European football-playing nations, only Germany had come close with respect to the consistency and on their day, they certainly looked like the Cup favourites. Something was missing in the semis against Italy — call it the X-factor or ‘mojo’, and they couldn’t quite finish the way they started the tournament.

In my opinion, after France (1998-2000), I see this team to be the most feared and dominant team in the recent years. France had shown what a bunch of individual genius could do when they combined talents and gelled together. I saw a similar pattern here with the current Spanish team. And if the last three tournaments were anything to go by, they look pretty solid to retain the World Cup as well.

The credit goes to del Bosque for putting this team together and making it reach its full potential.

Credit goes to Del Bosque, the coach of this team, to have come with a different tactic in the absence of David Villa, the country’s leading goal-scorer. The formation of 4-3-3 did work wonders as the highly skilled mid-fielders and their tiki-taka style of play ensured genuine strikers like Fernando Torres and Pedro Rodriguez coming only as substitutes.

Strikes from David Silva, Jordi Alba and late strikes from Torres and Juan Mata made sure Iker Casillas lifted his side’s second successive Euro trophy and country’s third overall (they had won in 1964) and thereby joined Germany as the only two countries to be triple European champions.

Nearly four years ago in Vienna this team had taken a step towards scaling the peak of world football. They still are at the top, with World Cup 2010 in their kitty and the 2012 Euro Championships.

The beauty of football is that it has never allowed a team to be at the pinnacle for long. It has always given other sides to stake a claim for the top prize. With the Euro 2012 win, Spain is looking good to change this trend. We have to go back to Chile 1962 when Brazil successfully defended their World Cup title. It has been 50 years and we are yet to see a back-to-back champion. It has happened in Euro for the first time. In two years, the attention shifts to Brazil and all the eyes will be on this team to see history being made.

That Carlos Queiroz, the former Portugal coach, was not off target was proved again on Wednesday night. After a gallant, valiant show that had captured the imagination of many throughout the tournament and every neutral person in the stadium on Wednesday night, Portugal finally bowed out of the Euro 2012 after losing in penalties to Spain.

Earlier, the 27-year-old had powered the Seleccao to a 2-1 victory against Netherlands with two goals in what was his best performance at Euro 2012. It was his tireless efforts that made Portugal come out unscathed from the Group of Death with the second position. He had led Portugal to an emphatic win against the Czech Republic in the quarters.

So it was down to him again in the semi-finals against the Spanish Armada. This was his chance to set to rest all those allegations that he doesn’t sparkle in the national colours as much as he does for the club he is playing for. This was his chance to defeat the country he considers his second home. This was his chance to finally come out of the shadows of Messi as the greatest player of recent times. Ronaldo had a lot riding on his 27-year-old shoulders on Wednesday night.

All the bets went in favor of a Spain victory, although many were optimistic about a Portugal win and a match-winning performance from the captain himself.

Even before the match began,Portugal were given a slight advantage in defence as Vicente del Bosque sprung a surprise and elected to start with Alvaro Negredo in attack ahead of both Fabregas and Fernando Torres. His Portuguese counterpart Paulo Bento made one change as injured Helder Postiga was replaced by Hugo Almeida.

From the very beginning, the Seleccao set about disrupting Spain’s rhythm by pressing their opponents high up the pitch. It worked for the opening few minutes as La Roja struggled to get their foot on the ball but they soon forged a chance for themselves. Andres Iniesta played a give-and-go down the left flank with Jordi Alba before passing the ball into the box. Negredo could not get a shot away but managed to stab it back to the top of the penalty area where Alvaro Arbeloa tried to caress it into the top corner but his attempt flew over the bar.

But the Spaniards were by no means dominating the match by their trademark “tiki taka” style. The talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, even though surrounded by two to three Spaniards always, was proving difficult for Del Bosque’s men to deal with.

However, two charging runs down the left failed to result in anything to truly test Iker Casillas. Then came a free-kick and a wild volley on the spin inside the opening 25 minutes. But this was not a fractured Netherlands or minnows Czech Republic they were up against. And Portugal, after all, had only Ronaldo. The famed Spanish defence stood impenetrable.

The match ended as a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes even though it was full of excitement at both ends. Portugal attacked and defended resolutely as the Spanish Armada managed only two shots on target.

Thirty more minutes of excitement awaited the fans.

But all that running was tiring him down. There are replacements for others, but you can’t replace a Ronaldo. Soon, Portugal were no longer forcing their opponents to play from deep; instead allowing them to control the ball in their own half during much of extra time. Del Bosque’s side dominated the extra 30 minutes but Rui Patricio brilliantly thwarted both Iniesta and Jesus Navas either side of the interval to ensure the game went to a penalty shoot-out.

Both teams got off to the worst start possible as Patricio and Casillas both saved lame shots from Alonso and Moutinho, respectively. Iniesta opened the scoring for Spain as Pepe, Pique and Nani all scored for their respective teams. The score stood 2-2 . Then Sergio Ramos, who had been subjected to numerous jokes about his penalty against Bayern Munich for sending the ball to the second stand in the Bernabeu, did a ‘Panenka’ or more so, an ‘Andrea Pirlo’, cheekily chipping the ball into the back of the net. Next was Bruno Alves. He went for power and hit the bar. La Roja were smelling victory. Fabregas’s shot struck the inside of the post and went in.

Again and again, Ronaldo found the Spanish defence to be impenetrable.

It was all over. Spain had qualified for a third successive major final.

But wait, where was Ronaldo amid all this? It was all on his shoulders, no?

As the whole Spanish team leapt up in joy, the TV camera showed a dejected Portuguese captain mouthing into the night sky. Everyone was hoping for a signature stutter run-up followed by an emphatic penalty. But he chose not to take any of the first four shots. Throughout the shoot-out Ronaldo had cut a tormented figure — tension and agitation written large on his face. The coach had come to consult him after the game went to shoot-out. It emerges that he had agreed to go fifth then, a curious choice for the team’s best penalty-taker.

It must be a sense of déjà vu for Ronaldo. So close, yet so far. Euro 2004 — loss to Greece in finals. FIFA 2006 — loss to France in the semis. Euro 2008 — out in quarters. FIFA 2010 — out in the last 16. But this year was supposed to be different, no?

Only if he had taken that first penalty! That’s a regret that is set to haunt Ronaldo for years to come.

But it was all scripted, isn’t it? I mean who would have expected this England team to progress let alone win the Euros?!

Looking at the squad, any football pundit would say that this is a squad worthy of playing at the highest level if all the players play together as a team. The likes of Wayne Rooney in attack, Steven Gerrard dictating the midfield and John Terry being a rock in the defensive line of the ‘three lions’.

But I wonder what goes wrong every single time they put on that trademark white stripe and fail to reach the expectations of all England fans.

We questioned the lack of performance by the Dutch, and even if England qualified for the quarter finals, both of them sailed out of the competition on the same boat.

I think it is safe to say that the entirety of Sunday’s quarterfinal match was comprehensively dictated by the Azzurris. The better team won, and will advance to take on the Germans in the semifinal. Andrea Pirlo was a class act. At the age of 33, his delicate passes and single-handed domination of the midfield was unbelievable. Mario Balotelli managed to keep a lid on his hot head and held the ball up nicely, creating numerous chances for himself but failed to take any.

Possession wise, there was only team on the field. Adding to that, another standout for the Italians was substitute Alessandro Diamanti. His decisive penalty, along with his creativity and hunger, added a much-needed spark to the attack.

On the English side of things, James Milner once again showed his ineffectiveness on the flank, and really failed to offer anything positive. And just when things looked promising, he would either lose the ball or play it all the way back to Joe Hart. It was shocking to see him start before the pacy winger and in-form Walcott or even the talented youngster Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. Wayne Rooney lazily jogged around hoping that the ball would magically end up in the back of the net. With him or without him, England didn’t miss a striker.

Wait… but did they have any?

By all accounts, they were defeated before the first penalty had even been struck. Things momentarily took a turn for the better when Riccardo Montolivo smashed his penalty wide. England fans went berserk as they sensed victory, but their ecstasy was short-lived as under tremendous pressure, Andrea Pirlo cheekily chipped the ball past the helpless Joe Hart.

Italy’s Alessandro Diamanti scores the winning penalty past English keeper Joe Hart.

Pressure? What pressure? Still the ball was in England’s court. Ashley Young stepped up and smacked the post from five yards out and Ashley Cole followed up with the most predictable penalty kick as he chose the same side like he did in the Munich final. Only, this time he hit it worse.

All that was left to do was watch Diamanti stroke his penalty past Hart and wheel away in celebration.

Many of the flaws in England’s efforts and game plan on Sunday can be traced back to the Capello era. A new coach was appointed just two weeks before a major tournament. Wayne Rooney once again began and finished a tournament imperfectly. The suspension he foolishly earned by kicking out at Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic proved costly. The lack of depth in areas such as central midfield due to the injuries suffered by Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and Jack Wilshere also hurt. It might have solved a few selection dilemmas — Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker became automatic choices. But the duo in the engine room were duly tired in the latter stages and only an inexperienced Jordan Henderson was available in relief. John Terry’s upcoming court case, the subsequent controversy surrounding Rio Ferdinand’s non-selection, the lengthy injury list…England’s chances were gone even before a ball had been kicked.

Now it’s once again back to the drawing board for Hodgson and his men. They can either sit around and sulk about it — or take it as something to build upon.

To be very honest, no one expected ‘this’ English side to conjure any miracles in Poland and Ukraine but, two years from now in Brazil, the fans and press are not likely to be so forgiving.

A Ronado-inspired Portugal rose up to the occasion brilliantly to dominate the Czechs to enter the semis of the Euro Cup.

What is it about Ronaldo that makes people loathe him and love him with the same intensity? Is his arrogance justified? Is he really the best player of our times? Is he better than Messi? Will he redeem his worth in the Euro 2012, or will he merely remain the everlasting shadow at No. 2 behind Argentinean maestro Messi?

His goal-scoring spree for Portugal prior to this tournament had been frugal to say the least, scoring only twice under the previous coach. In the last three major tournaments for his country, Ronaldo had found the net once and only once on each occasion. He seemed destined to be scoffed by his Portugal fans unless he could salvage his pride and prove to be a worthy contender yet again for the Ballon d’Or, which had spurned him for Messi since 2009.

Ronaldo thus had a lot at stake as Portugal took the field against Germany in their first match of Group B; and yet again, he drew the jeers from the crowd who kept chanting “Messi, Messi, Messi”. The resplendence and bounteousness were again lacking from his performance and despite his sulks and pouts and temerity, things did not improve against Denmark either. His fans relegated him to depravity — for failing to transcript the scintillating performances he brought forth for his club, on the grandest stage for his country.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Miguel Lopes celebrate victory against the Netherlands.

And then came the battle of egos with the Dutch national team. Here, Ronaldo finally rewarded those patient fans who had suffered through the ordeal of seeing him blatantly strutting and preening without a single goal to his name. Ronaldo called forth some sheer pace, dexterity and skill and dogmatised the opponents into appearing as an abject, helpless side. With two goals coming off his boot that night, few could deny Ronaldo his statutory celebration. It was perhaps the most exquisite performance of his international career.

He adhered to his newly discovered form against the Czechs by a winning header that put Portugal into the semis of Euro 2012. But was that enough to answer his critics? True, he levigated the Czechs by his mercurial athwart careering. He intimidated the defenders by dashing in and seemingly dawdling with the ball — his customary skills at their supremacy. But akin to the previous matches, he targeted the post a tad too often, behaved churlishly giving vent to his frustration, and made a motley of gestures when his team-mates failed to pass the ball his way at the precise moment. Despite that, he answered the fervent prayers of the Portuguese and rose to the occasion with a magnificent header. With the final whistle, he dropped to his knees and pumped his clenched fists before jumping into the arms of his team-mates to begin a long night of extolment.

But was it really his redemption?

Being the exalted superstar that he is, he draws admiration and criticism from a wide range of fans (and haters). The most-discussed stratagem of his that night, was a travesty of football. Top models Bar Refaeli and Irina Shayk got into a Twitter catfight over his overtly gelled hair. Israeli beauty Refaeli insulted the styled-up do of Shayk’s boyfriend Ronaldo by posting on Twitter, “The only thing I can think of when I watch Ronaldo is that hair gel should really be outlawed!”. Shayk retaliating by responding, “Being a hater is not a cute look. Learn to love.” In spite of Refaeli’s apparent disdain for his hairdo, it escalated Portugal into the semis and whetted the appetites of a million fans for the next spark awaiting in the following game.

It’s safe to bet that whatever be the score, Ronaldo will be berated and approbated in an equal measure. Though it may not always be on the terms of his golden touch to the ball.

What's ailing this team?

The European Championship. One tournament that comes every four years and the big guns of Europe fight it out to claim the ultimate glory, to reign over Europe. For the past four years, the Spanish armada have conquered the World Cup along with the European Championship in a row, and are the undoubted favorites for this year’s European championship as well.

BUT, it’s not Spain that people are worried about. Something else haunts the supporters of four world-class footballing nations. It’s the Group B, the group of death, the most talked about group in the history of any football tournament till date.

Why? Because for the first time ever, four of the top 10 footballing nations –Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Denmark — are drawn together in the same group. Two will qualify and the other two will be left to wonder what went wrong.

Normally people would have predicted Germany and the Netherlands to go through with ease keeping in mind the performances of Denmark and Portugal in the last European championship and World Cup 2010. But what followed was nothing less than extraordinary.

Robin van Persie is guarded by Denmark's William Kvist (left) and Michael Krohn-Dehli (right).

First match was Denmark against the World Cup finalists Netherlands. The team who has the top scorer of the English Premier League Robin Van Persie, the top scorer of the Bundesliga Klass Jan Huntelaar along with the Dutch magician Arjen Robben supported by the playmaker Wesley Sneijder. A team packed with unmatched attacking talent. Facing them were a team that had two known faces in the likes of Christen Eriksen because many clubs were interested in signing him and the former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. All the bets were on the Dutch to crumble the Denmarkdefence into pieces. When the final whistle blew, the scoreline was nothing less than disbelief for all soccer fans around the world — 1-0 to Denmark. Thanks to a 24th minute, Danish winger Krohn-Dehli sold Netherland’s John Heitinga a dummy inside the box before tucking the ball between Stekelenburg’s legs. The Dutch were left licking their wounds.

The second match in the group for Netherlands was against Germany. They knew they simply HAD to win this match to even have a fighting chance of reaching the final eight of Euro 2012. Coach Van Marwijk was in tremendous pressure before the match kicked off. Still, he didn’t bother to change his side and left the top scorer of the Bundesliga on the bench, deciding to go for Robin Van Persie up front. Earlier reports suggested that Sneijder had revealed that everyone in the group weren’t friends and there are a few issues that needed urgent rectification. Well… nothing was rectified. As Mario Gomez showed twice as he skilled his way past the Dutch defence — carrying passes from Schweinstieger both the time — before putting the ball in the net.

Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg looks helplessly as Germany's Mario Gomez nets the ball.

Netherlands trailed by 2-0 at half time with coach Van Marjwik on the edge of this technical area, the weight of the world on his shoulders — more because he had signed a four-year extension to his contract a day before. Watching his side on the course of a second defeat in a row meant an uphill task to stay in the European Championship. He introduced Huntelaar and Van Der Vaart in the second half to try to get back in the game. Neither of them was able to do it, but the Premier League top scorer hit back with a goal from outside the box to half the deficit. Still, it wasn’t enough as Germany went on to win the game.

Netherlands, nicknamed the ‘Oranje’, is a team filled with star names who are being paid a fortune by their clubs. But when it comes to playing for their country, the ego battle among the players turns out to be their nemesis. They still have an outside chance of making it but it’s next to impossible. The coach will take the blame for their shameful performances but we know where the problem lies. As they say, ‘play for the name on the front and not the back’ doesn’t go down too well with the Dutch players.

Chelsea captain John Terry with the Champion's League trophy

Pale faces buried in red shirts were all across the pitch, while on the deck Jose Bosingwa’s dance continued. It was close to 3 am on Sunday in India but sleep, at that time, seemed an alien word from another planet, as captain John Terry, who by the way didn’t play the final against Bayern Munich due to suspension, held the Euro Champions League trophy for Chelsea.

History was made, and it was largely the handiwork, or head-work, followed by leg-work of Didier Drogba.

A wholesome crowd at the Allianz Arena stood awestruck, witness to a scintillating display of the beautiful game. Yes, Bayern, playing it almost like a home game on own turf, was the more attacking side by a wide, wide margin — notching up more possession, shots at goal and corner kicks — but it would be wrong to say the better side lost. For, Chelsea, defending for most part of the match, with even Drogba, left alone upfront for most part of the match before Fernando Torres came on as a substitute late into the match, dropping back to defend at times, showed why resolve is called one of the most important traits in a winner.

The first-half was dominated well by the home team, with some brilliant saves by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. But Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez and Company did everything but put the ball in the slot.

Midway into the second half, the experts were predicting a goalless draw to extra-time. Not unlike the first half, Chelsea received very few chances, as their two corners to Bayern’s 20 perhaps leaves an inkling, while Robben and Frank Ribery kept the ball going well.

On to the last 10 minutes of regulation time.

Eighty-third: Yoni Kroos finds Thomas Muller at the back post, Cech fails to get hold of the bounce, and Muller’s header makes it 1-0 for the German side.

Within a couple of minutes, Muller was subbed, with Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes feeling he had won it, as scores of sad blue jersey-clad fans stood in dismay on the stands.

Eighty-eighth: Juan Mata’s corner (incredibly Chealsea’s first in the match), tense hearts and frustrated minds in not only the Bayern penalty box and in the stands but in front of the telly across the globe, and Drogba’s bullet header beats the goalie, Manuel Neuer.

The ecstatic Chelsea team

Fortune favours the brave? You bet the aphorism sounded like a Newtonian law at the time. And yes, that same celebration, that same move: The Drog had shone once again.

Tears of joy came to my eyes. It was perhaps Chelsea’s night; Heynckes probably was cursing himself to have brought off Muller.

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo brought in Torres, the $50-million goal scorer.

While the match went on into extra-time, the game still had more twists left. The goal scorer for Chelsea conceded a penalty. A very bad, and totally uncalled for challenge on Ribery, who was sadly brought off. Things weren’t going right for the home team as Robben, the man who netted against the La Liga Champions, came up to take it.

It just wasn’t Bayern’s day as Petr Cech dived to his left and stopped it.

The Chelsea side looked fresh and brisk after this, having got more than its fair share of lives, but Bayern again dominated the second half of extra time.

When nothing could settle the tie, it was the time for a penalty shootout: Bayern drove in its first three, while Chelsea received a stumble in the first but David Luiz and Ashley Cole found the net. Petr Cech had to save the next and so he did, Olic finding Cech’s hands. Lampard made it 3-3 for Chelsea, and then, with my heart beating at over 150 pulses per second and with my eyes closed, I heard Bastien Schweinsteiger’s ball hit the post.

It was time for victory as Drogba stepped up for the final penalty. Maybe his last in Blue Jersey, he had to make it the best moment of his football career. And so he did it for Chelsea. It was a birthday present for the Czech goalie.

It was time for A HUGE CELEBRATION. They are the Champions of Europe. I salute Roberto Di Matteo. I salute The MAN: Didier Drogba.

“So cheer us on through the sun and rain

Coz Chelsea, Chelsea our name.”

So Bobby Tambling’s team found their first ever Champions League victory. And it was time for a waltz, that most German of dance styles.