Future unknown ... no silverwarwe for Grant this season. Reuters
CHELSEA manager Avram Grant insisted after losing to Manchester United in a UEFA Champions League final decided on penalties that his side had done enough to lift the trophy.
"It is very hard to lose on penalties. I don`t know what to say, especially after - except for the first 30 minutes - we dominated the game,`` said Grant, who threw his losers medal into the midst of Chelsea supporters.
"We hit the post, we hit the bar, we shot much more than them. Even in the penalties we came to the last one and it was in our hands - but we lost."
Chelsea would have won if John Terry had not missed his side`s fifth penalty and Grant said his captain had been left distraught.
"One penalty can make the difference between happiness and sadness," he said.
"John did not say anything. He was very sad he cried but he is the main reason we are here.
"It has not been a normal seaosn for us. There have been many difficulties, Manchester United were always ahead in the league. But he was always there for us as a captain and he took the responsibility to take the penalty.``
Grant refused to answer questions about his future, widely believed to be on the line after a season which has also seen Chelsea lose the League Cup final to Tottenham and finish second to United in the league.
For Chelsea`s Frank Lampard, there was another emotional rollercoaster ride just weeks after his mother died, as he scored the equaliser and then a penalty in the shootout, only to be on the losing side.
"It`s a small detail that loses you a game, John (Terry) slipped for the penalty,`` said Lampard.
"No one could deny that after 30 minutes we dominated the game. However we have to take it on the chin. I`m not being bitter but it`s hard to take. United have won the Champions League against the better team.
"Terry should not be criticised as he stood up to take the penalty and there aren`t many centrebacks who would do that.
"It has been a very hard time for me. It is unfortunate that the Champions League final has come this year when I`m having a tough time.
"Football has kept me focused on something. We`ll (Chelsea) come back stronger. We are a team of giants. It`s so frustrating that a penalty has decided it."
THE man to establish a major sports club on the Gold Coast predicts the AFL team to be introduced to the region will tally losses totalling more than $100 million in its first five years
AS more and more Australian rugby stars look for lucrative moves overseas, the race is on between clubs from the northern hemisphere to make big-name signings. European clubs hold the whip hand, but the new kid on the block might just scoop them all. Japan, long regarded as the innovators of technology and efficiency, has turned its sights on rugby union, and the country is set to make an impact
THE man to establish a major sports club on the Gold Coast predicts the AFL team to be introduced to the region will tally losses totalling more than $100 million in its first five years
AUSTRALIA goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is understood to be on the verge of signing for Barclays Premier League side Fulham
AS more and more Australian rugby stars look for lucrative moves overseas, the race is on between clubs from the northern hemisphere to make big-name signings. European clubs hold the whip hand, but the new kid on the block might just scoop them all. Japan, long regarded as the innovators of technology and efficiency, has turned its sights on rugby union, and the country is set to make an impact
