By Valentina Calderón:
This season was one with many surprises in the world of soccer. In Italy, Inter Milan overthrew the reign of Juventus. In France, Lille and Paris Saint-Germain had a very close season finale, but Lille beat PSG by just one point. In Mexico, Cruz Azul managed to be crowned champion after 23 and a half years. In Europe, Chelsea crowned the best. Great surprises in football in this 2021.
The big surprise that happened in Italy. Inter Milan managed to overthrow Juventus, a team that had 9 consecutive Serie A championships. Inter finished well above their rivals in the season table with 91 points, taking a 12-point lead from second-place Milan.
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Antonio Conte, the club’s technical director since 2019, led the team to glory. This was from the hand of forward Romelu Lukaku, who managed to score 24 goals and distribute 11 assists. The Belgian was named the best player of the season in Serie A, beating Cristiano Ronaldo who was the season’s top scorer.
Inter managed to obtain their first title since 2011, and the first scudetto since 2010, which was unexpected this season, beating all the odds.
#SerieA ???????? | #LaForzaDelCalcio ⚽
He beat Cristiano Ronaldo! ????
Romelu Lukaku was chosen the MVP of the recent season. ????
He scored 2⃣4⃣ goals and won the ‘Scudetto’ with Inter. ????
More details:https://t.co/Re55L9jM4w pic.twitter.com/9fLr2sdIA5
– Sports Nation (@naciondeportes_) June 1, 2021
Meanwhile, in France there is a new champion, Lillie managed to end the PSG dictatorship. The Parisian team was the favorite, having won 7 of the last 8 titles, including the last three, thanks to great players like Neymar and Mbappé. PSG was only 1 point behind Lille, Pochettino came to lead the team thinking about winning the Champions League, and did not even manage to win Ligue 1.
After 10 years of drought, Lillie managed to claim their first Ligue 1 title. The team led by Christophe Galtier made a very effective attack throughout the season. Team forward Burak Yilmaz scored 16 goals this season, placing him in fourth place on the scoring chart. The fifth title in the history of Lille, with a very young team that promises a lot.
Likewise, Cruz Azul managed to break the curse. The club, after 23 years, 5 months, 23 days and 6 runners-up, managed to beat Santos and become champions.
The match ended in a 2-1 favor for Cruz Azul, crowning themselves champions of the Guardianes 2021 tournament. It was Juan Reynoso, who in 1997 lifted the trophy for the last time as player and captain of Azul, and this time he broke the curse to lift the trophy as technical director.
The best team in the Mexican league, the team that deserved the trophy got it, and it ended with the taunts and ghosts that followed them for a long time. This time, there was no ‘cruzazuleada’, this year it was the good one and the longed-for ninth was won.
#NationMX ???????? | #FeelYourLiga ????
Celebrate it, Cruz Azul! ????
Many of its players had been part of recent dark history and were finally able to taste the glory. ????
These are the best reactions after the ninth title of the ‘Machine’. ???? https://t.co/W2Xvs2DHBo pic.twitter.com/CwNtVcCOtL
– Sports Nation (@naciondeportes_) May 31, 2021
The Champions League champion was another who was not expected. Chelsea managed to beat Manchester City, despite all the predictions favoring City. On the one hand, there was Pep Guardiola, who has won 2 ‘orejonas’ as technical director. On the other hand Thomas Tuchel, who had reached the final the previous year leading PSG. Tuchel has done an extraordinary job since joining the club in January, beating Manchester City, who have been favorites to be crowned champions since the start of the Champions League.
A midfield controlled by N’golo Kanté, who won Man of the Match in the final. With a goal from Kai Havertz, Chelsea won the match. After beating great teams like Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, it seemed a surprise that the ‘blues’ made it all the way to the final. Chelsea’s second UEFA Champions League title in history came 9 years later when least expected.
#ChampionsLeague ???? | #UCLfinal
Final: #ManchesterCity 0-1 #Chelsea
The ‘Blues’ were established as the biggest surprise of the season! ????
He had two different coaches and Kai Havertz was the hero ????♂️ of the second title in his history.
The goal. ???? https://t.co/621YLgKLqu pic.twitter.com/VHnhGMjO2b
– Sports Nation (@naciondeportes_) May 29, 2021
This season taught us, once again, that anything can happen in the world of football. The favorites fell short in winning the titles, and several black horses shone in the tournaments. Inter Milan returned that glory to a club with so much history, and fans filled the city with blue and black colors. Lille was consistent and showed that there is a bright future for young people in football.
Chelsea demonstrate why the Premier League is the most competitive and beat the favorite team to win the ‘orejona’. Cruz Azul taught us that curses do not exist, and that there are very loyal fans, which infested the Angel of Independence. If something was clear to us, it is that, in football, anything can happen.
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