Tonight:
4°c
The tears of Terry... the regret of Roman
Benedict Moore-Bridger and Valentine Low22 May 2008
The tears said it all. After John Terry missed the penalty that would have won the match, the Chelsea captain was inconsolable in his agony, weeping uncontrollably as he watched Manchester United take the cup. Surrounded by his team-mates, he was still alone in his agony.
"We couldn't stop Terry crying," said his fellow centre-half Ricardo Carvalho.
Above him in the VIP seats in Moscow, Roman Abramovich sat with his head bowed, numb with disappointment and the knowledge of what might have been.
Terry's missed penalty after extra time ended 1-1 - hitting the post after he slipped on the wet ground - is being described as the most expensive slip in football history, one which could cost Chelsea £65 million.
Terry's exquisite agony would have been heightened by the knowledge that he should not have been taking his turn in the penalty shoot-out at all. It was only when Didier Drogba was sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic that Terry felt obliged to be among the first five penalty takers.
Team-mate Frank Lampard refused to blame his captain. He said: "John Terry is a man's man. He is Mr Chelsea. Not many centre halfs will stand up and say 'I'll take the last penalty'. He slipped. No one can criticise Terry - he wants it more than anyone. He will be back."
Perhaps, but there was no consoling him as players, club staff, and even the referee tried to comfort Terry, who failed to give any post-match interview in the Luzhniki stadium. United captain Rio Ferdinand said: "I thought JT would score his penalty. He's a great penalty taker in training, unfortunately he slipped. Somebody's got to lose."
Sympathy in Moscow - but many fans in London had harsh words. Grant Bolton, 30, a plasterer, from Mitcham, watched the game in the Elk Bar in the King's Road near Stamford Bridge. He said: "I reckon Terry had a chance to win it and he bottled it. There's no other way of saying it." But Dan Abramik, 19, an electrician from Lincoln, said: "Even though he missed, John Terry is an absolute hero."
Minutes after the final one anonymous fan wrote on Terry's Wikipedia page: "The moron cost Chelsea the Champions League Final. It's his fault they lost. He should be sold. Worst Chelsea player ever."
It was removed five minutes later; Terry's pain will be around for a lot longer than that.
