Di Matteo refuses to rule out second Chelsea Champions League win
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Roberto Di Matteo believes a second consecutive Champions League win should not be dismissed out of hand, as Chelsea prepare for the first step in the defence of their trophy with a trip to Serie A champions Juventus, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
No team has won back-to-back Champions Leagues in the era of the competition, dating back to 1993. The last team to win two European Cups in succession was Milan, in 1989 and 1990. Coached both times by Arrigo Sacchi, Milan beat Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in the first match and Benfica by a single goal a year later, all goals coming from Dutch internationals - two each for Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basted in 1989 and a Frank Rijkaard penalty in 1990.
Di Matteo acknowledged that thus far it has proved “impossible” to retain the Champions League, but added his Chelsea team aimed to “do the impossible.” The Italian added that the most important long-term legacy of winning the Champions League was not in fact the clinching of the trophy for the first time, but rather it allowed the Blues to attract a high calibre of player to the club this summer, by virtue of the place in this season’s Champions League the victory guaranteed.
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