Cairo appeared deserted when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich to be crowned the new kings of Europe, Inas Mazhar reports There was no traffic that day Saturday. It was all quiet. That was unusual. Meetings and appointments were either canceled or brought forward so people could watch the game on time. Cafes, clubs, hotels, all were full as Egyptians were keen to watch the final of the UEFA Champions League which pitted Chelsea of England against favourites Bayern Munich, seeing the game was played in Germany. The two clubs ended the reign of the two more popular football teams, Spain's Real Madrid and Barcelona. In that respect, Chelsea and Bayern were champions in their own right. Saturday night brought back memories of famous domestic derby duels between Ahli and Zamalek. But with the domestic national competition cancelled following the Port Said tragedy on 1 February in which 75 fans were killed in a soccer riot, Egyptians switched their attention and their allegiance and took their passion with them to European teams. The Ahli club installed giant screens for members to follow the Euro final and the support they gave to the team wearing the Ahli red (Bayern Munich) was massive. Their backing was made clear when they roared in delight after Bayern opened the scoring against the Blues of Chelsea. But 10-year-old Ziad Ehab was supporting Chelsea and begged his mother to stay until the end of the game because she wanted to leave. Ehab was sitting among hundreds of fans in the garden watching the giant screen. "I'm supporting the Drogba team. I wish I can become a famous player like him one day. This morning I drank a can of soft drink that had his picture and I hope his team wins." Ziad's dream not only came true when Chelsea won the game but his beloved player Didier Drogba sealed the victory. Drogba was the Chelsea hero as owner Roman Abramovich finally completed his UEFA Champions League odyssey. Trailing to Thomas Muller's late header, Drogba first saved the Blues by heading them level in the 88th minute. Then, after Arjen Robben has missed from the spot in extra time, Drogba kept his nerve after Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger had failed in the shoot-out to ensure Chelsea erased the memory of their misery in 2008, when they lost to Manchester United on penalties, by conquering Europe for the first time. "They never give up until the end," Drogba told ITV. "This team is amazing. It was written, I think, a long time ago. I want to dedicate this cup to all the managers we've had before, all the players I've played with before." Drogba also hailed the performance of goalkeeper Petr Cech, who saved a penalty from Robben in extra time and also played a key part as Bayern missed twice in the shoot-out. "When we have this guy in goal you have to believe," Drogba said. Surely the triumph will be enough to secure Roberto Di Matteo a full-time job as Chelsea manager. After all, following so many failures, Di Matteo has delivered the trophy Abramovich has been eyeing for nine years. Sami Mahmoud, an accountant, was among those watching in Ahli. "Without domestic football it became boring. Thank God there is the Champions League. It's stronger of course, thrilling and entertaining. It's real football. "I think we Egyptians no longer care whether the national competition resumes. We became more interested in European leagues. It's easy to watch them by those who have no cable subscriptions at home."
