Chelsea won the Champions League for the second time as a Kai Havertz goal secured a tense 1-0 victory over Manchester City in Saturday's final in Porto, shattering Pep Guardiola's dream of lifting the trophy for the third time.
Havertz rounded Ederson to score three minutes before half-time at the Estadio do Dragao and the Chelsea players ran to celebrate with the German.
Coach Thomas Tuchel, full of energy on the touchline just like his opposite number, punched the air in celebration, and later jumped with joy on the pitch after Chelsea held on for victory in the second half after City lost distraught skipper Kevin De Bruyne to injury.
The London club finished fourth in the Premier League, a huge 19 points behind champions City, but this, remarkably, was their third win over Guardiola's side in six weeks.
Magical moments for @ChelseaFC ?#UCL #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/i6tUtByIAD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 29, 2021
They ended City's hopes of a domestic treble when they triumphed in the FA Cup semi-finals in April and delayed their title celebrations with victory in Manchester.
Now, in a final watched by a limited crowd of just over 14,000 fans who created a raucous atmosphere, they have denied City the first Champions League crown they and Guardiola so crave.
"It was an incredibly tough fight, what a fight. Today they were determined to win this. We wanted to be the stone in their shoe," Tuchel told BT Sport.
"The effort was huge. We overcame some difficult moments and had a fantastic attitude to defending."
City had to wait 13 years after being taken over by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour just to get to the Champions League final.
Updated honours board ?#UCL #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/TDsydRIHQg
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 29, 2021
They are now the eighth consecutive team to lose in their first appearance at this stage. The same misfortune befell Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain last year as well as Tottenham Hotspur when they were beaten by Liverpool in the last all-English final in 2019.
"It is the first time we're here, we'll learn, we'll come back," Guardiola said.
"The players did everything, they wanted to do well, to win this competition, sometimes you perform well, sometimes not."
Chelsea also lost when they first got to the final, on penalties against Manchester United in Moscow in 2008.
They overcame the final hurdle by beating Bayern Munich in a shoot-out in 2012 and now they have their second European Cup to move level with Juventus, Benfica and Porto as well as another English side, Nottingham Forest.
Mount passsss???Phil Foden come out now!!?? Chelsea Thiago Silva Guardiola kante pic.twitter.com/bvvqtvlT6I
— the gypsy king?? (@isaac1_osei) May 29, 2021
Their transformation into one of Europe's super clubs has been down to the riches of Roman Abramovich, their Russian oligarch owner who was in attendance in Portugal.
"It's such a special occasion. At this moment in time, we're the best team in the world. You can't take that away from us," said Mason Mount, who has been outstanding for the Stamford Bridge side this season.
Chelsea have been transformed since the appointment as coach in January of Tuchel, but City were still the favourites after their third Premier League title triumph in four seasons.
"Everywhere. All the time. Chelsea’s badge has a lion and today they played in a stadium named after a dragon, but neither of those could possibly strike fear into anyone’s heart quite like the sight of N’Golo Kanté."
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 29, 2021
"The smiling assassin was everywhere." pic.twitter.com/5U0GtS9oth
N'Golo Kanté's #UCLFinal game by numbers for Chelsea:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 29, 2021
85% passing accuracy
53 touches
11 duels won (most)
10 ball recoveries (most)
4 aerials won (!)
3 tackles
2 touches in the opp. box
2 clearances
2 interceptions
2 fouls won
One of the great UCL Final performances. ? pic.twitter.com/dukI1LEL5d
Feeding off the energy of the crowd in a stadium filled to a third of its capacity -- all fans required negative Covid-19 tests to gain entry -- both teams played with a level of intensity rarely seen in the last year of football in empty grounds.
City pressed high but struggled to trouble Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea goal, while at the other end Timo Werner should have done better than shoot straight at Ederson in the 14th minute.
Chelsea then suffered an injury blow as an emotional Thiago Silva was forced off hurt, Andreas Christensen taking the Brazilian's place in central defence.
Yet it was they who opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, Mason Mount's ball splitting the City defence, allowing Havertz -- their marquee 71 million-pound ($100m) signing last summer -- to go around the lunging Ederson and convert into an empty net.
2013: Championnat National
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 29, 2021
2014: Ligue 2
2015: Ligue 1
2016: Premier League champion
2017: Premier League champion
2018: FA Cup winner
2018: World Cup winner
2019: Europa League winner
2021: Champions League winner
N'Golo Kanté really is everywhere. pic.twitter.com/kcsc24vmTM
City now needed to break down a Chelsea defence that has been exceptional under Tuchel.
But they lost De Bruyne just before the hour mark, the Belgian taken out in a collision with Antonio Ruediger that appeared to leave him concussed.
He came off in tears, and Guardiola instead turned to Sergio Aguero for the latter stages, but there was to be no glorious send-off as a City player for the Argentine, as a Riyad Mahrez shot sailed just over in the sixth minute of injury time.
A decade on from his last European Cup triumph, there was to be no third for Guardiola. He remains one adrift of the record for the coaches with most wins in the competition, held jointly by Bob Paisley, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.
Thomas Tuchel & Thiago Silva.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 29, 2021
Together in defeat. Together in victory ? pic.twitter.com/qc1eKLxqhm
Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea four months ago.
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 29, 2021
The team were 9th in the Premier League.
He steered them into the top four.
He reached the FA Cup Final.
He won the #UCLFinal
Instant impact ? pic.twitter.com/v8de2HKSEM
? "I'm almost speechless..."
— SPORF (@Sporf) May 29, 2021
? Thomas Tuchel was lost for words after @ChelseaFC pulled through and won the #UCL for the 2nd time!
? What a brilliant job Tuchel has done! pic.twitter.com/7tSicaOEou
