Pubs packed to the rafters when the big games are on, passionate supporters, lots of banter and of course lots of alcohol.

In the early years I was an expert at staying out all night to watch big games, getting drunk and then turning up to work with little or no sleep and boring my Aussie workmates with details of last night’s "soccer" game.

I'm getting too old now to stay up all night drinking and then turning up for work so last night I had to go to bed at 10pm like an old man and set the alarm for 4am to get up and watch the biggest game in a decade for us Utd fans.

Up until 2 minutes before the break I was delighted with how we were playing, we dominated, played some nice stuff, Ronaldo scored (he can’t do it in big games apparently) and I was looking forward to my half time slice of toast.

Then Chelsea equalised, Lampard fired home after 15 deflections (I can exaggerate if I want), just before the break and everything changed. I'm happy to admit we rode our luck at times in the 2nd half with Chelsea hitting the crossbar and the post, however, the game should have been over at half time with Cech saving from a Tevez header and Carrick who should have buried the rebound hitting it straight at Cech to push over the bar.

At 2-0 it would have been game over. So I don’t want to hear about how unlucky Chelsea were, remember Giggs also had a chance to wrap things up in extra time as well with a great chance that was cleared off the line when it looked easier to score (it always does from the TV)

Drogba who found the time to stop whinging and lying on the ground at every opportunity, decided to show everyone he wasn’t a big girl’s blouse after all by slapping Vidic, like ..... ermm a big girl’s blouse and got himself sent off, the good news was he was one of their penalty takers.

Non football fans just don’t get how big a deal or how nerve wracking peno shoot outs are even in a game down the local park, never mind in the European Cup Final.

I was totally focused on helping the lads get through this and much to my wife's amusement she decided to take photographs of me as she made her breakfast. Every peno required a different position, on my knees two inches from the TV, behind the couch with hands clasped looking for divine intervention, behind a cushion on the other couch, I was even half way down the hallway ready to run into the shower for Terry's kick so that I didn’t have to watch Chelsea celebrate, screams of joy and back into praying position two inches in front of the tv after he missed.

If I was feeling like this, how were the players feeling (Anelka was as nervous as I was as it turned out). Anelka's peno which was viewed from the gaps in the fingers that covered my face, led to more screams of joy and a scared two year old who didn’t know who the lunatic in front of the TV was but it certainly wasn’t her Dad.

Pure joy, we did it at last!!

After so many years of trying and 50 years after the Munich disaster, the night Giggsy beat Bobby's appearance record, it just seemed like it was destiny.

After I had calmed down I again realised how much I miss watching the big games back in Ireland at a reasonable hour, questions like "how did you think Fergies' tactics held up" or "Is Ronaldo on his way to Real now?" require a lot more discussion and analysis than the ones I got from my wife: "why is he crying it’s only a game of football?"; "ohhh I feel sorry for him now, I wish the Blue team beat the Red team" ; "he has nice legs he deserved to win not the other guy he is ugly" oh well, at least we won.

Anyway roll on next season, Liverpool are already starting with the usual "I think this could be our season if we get a couple of new players" (I've been hearing that one from my Pool mates for almost two decades now). Avram Grant will probably be sacked, everyone wants out of Arsenal.

Hopefully this will be the start of European domination now for Utd just like they have dominated the Premier League for so long.

- Breeny

Are you a United fan? What did you think of the game? Did you fear the worst after half-time? Post a comment.