Europa League - Ivanovic heads Chelsea to last-gasp glory against Benfica


Mofo2

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Branislav Ivanovic headed Chelsea to a dramatic 2-1 Europa League final victory over Benfica in stoppage time as the London side became the first club to hold Europe's two major club trophies at the same time.

A year after lifting the Champions League by shocking Bayern Munich on penalties in Munich, this match proved to be every bit as dramatic as Rafael Benitez's team somehow resisted a Benfica side who had looked classier on the ball.

With the score level at 1-1 a minute into three added on after an Oscar Cardozo penalty on 68 minutes had cancelled out Fernando Torres's opening goal on 60 minutes, Ivanovic - suspended for last year's Champions League final - proved the difference between the sides. The Serbian defender sent a towering header back across goal from Juan Mata's corner. The ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before nestling in the net as Benfica goalkeeper Artur could only watch the ball drop beyond him in the cornet of the net.

It was a heartbreaking way for Benfica to lose the match, but they ultimately paid the price for failing to score having dominated large swathes of the first period. They have now lost seven straight European finals since winning the European Cup with a 5-3 win over Real Madrid in Amsterdam in 1962.

But the Dutch capital was not kind to them on this occasion.

Chelsea will not care much for the manner in which they carried off the club's 11th trophy in 12 years under Russian owner Roman Abramovich. It is a rich haul of silverware yet interim manager Benitez is set to depart the club this summer to be replaced by the returning Jose Mourinho.

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