Chelsea win breaks London duck
Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Chelsea FC's victory against FC Bayern München makes them the first London club to win the European Cup – and only the sixth side from a capital city to have lifted the trophy.
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Chelsea FC's victory against FC Bayern München makes them the first London club to win the European Cup – and only the sixth side from a capital city to have lifted the trophy in the 57-year history of the competition.
In London's Olympic year it was third time lucky for the city after previous final defeats for Arsenal FC, losers against FC Barcelona in 2006, and Chelsea themselves when beaten by Manchester United FC two years later.
Madrid leads the way as the European capital with most wins thanks to Real Madrid CF's nine triumphs – more than any other club. Victorious in each of the first five editions, the Spanish giants also triumphed in 1966, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Amsterdam is next on the list thanks to AFC Ajax's titles in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1995, while SL Benfica's 1961 and 1962 wins mean Lisbon has two cups.
Romania's capital, Bucharest, joined the list in 1986 when FC Steaua Bucureşti lifted the trophy, while Belgrade followed suit with FK Crvena zvezda's success in 1991. Other capital clubs to make losing appearances in finals were Belgrade's FK Partizan (1966), Athens' Panathinaikos FC (1971) and AS Roma (1984).
Capital profits (wins per city)
9 Madrid
4 Amsterdam
2 Lisbon
1 Belgrade, Bucharest, London