Chelsea lost Ramires to a second yellow card for a foul on Mario Götze four minutes from time and, despite forcing themselves ahead in extra-time through Eden Hazard, conceded an equaliser to Javi Martínez with the last kick of the game. Manuel Neuer’s save from Romelu Lukaku’s fifth spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out duly confirmed the European champions’ victory, though Mourinho was insistent the better side had lost.
The Portuguese had berated the officials at the end of normal time, approaching Jonas Eriksson – who booked six other Chelsea players – and his assistants near the touchline with his players, Ashley Cole and John Terry, also voicing their frustration. Mourinho reacted with resignation at the end, telling broadcasters that “this is my history with Uefa for a long, long time” and maintaining that theme in his subsequent media duties.
“I have a fantastic experience of playing with 10 men in Uefa matches,” he said. “I have a great experience. So I could react. I could coach my players in a way where, even with 10 men, even very, very tired, they could compete and find an opportunity to score a goal. In the end of the game, with everybody absolutely tired, they gave absolutely everything. I think my experience of playing with 10 men gave us a hand.”
Asked whether he thought Ramires’s dismissal was justified – the Brazilian will miss the Champions League group game against Basel on 18 September – the manager added: “People who earn their living in football always feel there’s a very important rule: the passion for football.
“If you are in love with football, you don’t kill a final with a second yellow card like this. You don’t kill the final. There were many other yellow cards that the referee didn’t give. There was a situation with Dante in front of me, with his first yellow card, and it was not given.
“A good English referee would have stopped the game and told Ramires: ‘Look, you’ve not hurt anyone but you mustn’t do that again.’ Or tell the Bayern players: ‘Don’t dive. Don’t try and provoke. Play a fair game.’ If you ask me in pure terms, rule by rule, yes it was a second yellow card. But you don’t do this every action in that way. But it’s nothing new for me.
“I played two or three times with 10 men against Barça. I went to Inter and played a Champions League semi-final, one hour, with 10 men against Barcelona. I go to Real Madrid, I played again a Champions League semi-final with 10 men.
“Now I come back to Chelsea and played a Super Cup final with 10 men again, and go to analyse the actions and make your conclusions. I’m unlucky. Just that.”
This fixture had carried extra significance given the fierce personal rivalry between Mourinho and his opposite number, Pep Guardiola. That much had not been lost on the players and Bayern’s first goalscorer, Franck Ribéry, celebrated his first equaliser manically with Guardiola on the touchline, apparently claiming the goal was for the Spaniard and “against Mourinho”.
The Bayern manager became the third coach to claim this trophy with more than one team having previously won it with Barcelona in 2011. “The best team won today,” said Guardiola. “We had so many opportunities to score and played so well whether with or without the ball.”
That much was refuted by his opposite number. The loss on penalties denied Mourinho the first silverware of his second spell in charge of Chelsea, though the Portuguese – who confirmed Samuel Eto’o will be his last signing of the summer – took heart from his team’s commitment and resilience.
“I’m disappointed because, in my opinion – and I can’t be punished for having an opinion – the best team lost,” he added. “The team that deserved to win more lost. But that happens in football. Not always the best team, the team that deserves more, won the game. So it’s acceptable because that’s football.”
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