Thomas Tuchel tutored Chelsea side beat Premier League Championships Manchester City to win the prestigious Uefa Champions League trophy for the second time.
The win means Tuchel who joined Chelsea five months back have beaten Pep Guardiola’s Man City side for the third time this season.
Guardiola has spent over one billion euros since his arrival in 2016 and has failed to lift the Champions League trophy for Man City.
Chelsea turned a season of turmoil into the ultimate triumph as Kai Havertz’s ice-cool finish sunk Manchester City 1-0 to swipe Champions League glory in Porto.
Mason Mount’s inch-perfect assist stunned domestic double-winners City at the Estadio do Dragao, as Chelsea claimed their second Champions League title to etch boss Thomas Tuchel’s name into the Stamford Bridge annals.
Kevin De Bruyne suffered a facial injury on a wretched night for the stellar Belgium star, who will be an immediate injury doubt for the European Championships. Pep Guardiola fielded a surprise pivotless midfield in a bid to catch out Tuchel and the Blues, but the move backfired and City paid the toughest price.
Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to last season’s Champions League final which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
PSG sacked the German in December but he was almost immediately hired by Chelsea and led the Russian-owned club to the second Champions League victory in their history thanks to a single goal from Kai Havertz in Porto.
“You know I was so grateful to arrive a second time (in the final after doing so with PSG last year) but this felt different. I told people before somehow it was,” Tuchel told BT Sport.
He paid tribute to his “unbelievable” players.
“It was an incredibly tough fight, what a fight. Today they were determined to win this. We wanted to be the stone in their (City’s) shoe.
“I told everyone to step up and to be more brave with the ball.
“Kai was strong and delivered again. He has a great heart.”
In just 124 days Tuchel has transformed Frank Lampard’s muddled men into mean tactical machines – and champions of Europe.
It leaves Man City still searching for the Champions League, the trophy that has eluded City and Guardiola cannot escape scrutiny for his part in this defeat after taking a tactical gamble which backfired.
