Chelsea were the overwhelming favourites heading into the 1997 FA Cup final, but that didn’t help settle the nerves of certain individuals before the match at Wembley.
Having finished sixth in the Premier League table that season, Chelsea faced a side in Middlesbrough who were relegated to the second tier of English footbal after coming 19th in the league.
Despite that, Boro still had players who could cause Chelsea problems in Juninho and Fabrizio Ravenelli. Blues boss Ruud Gullit managed to impart his big-game wisdom on his squad ahead of the Cup final, though, helping his players deal with the big occasion.
Chelsea hero recalls 1997 FA Cup final strike
Coming off the back of a fine first season at Stamford Bridge and in English football, Roberto Di Matteo felt a large amount of pressure at Wembley before facing Middlesbrough.
He needn’t have, with the Italian midfielder scoring a stunning strike just 43 seconds into the game. Gullit helped settle his nerves beforehand, with Di Matteo earning hero status among Chelsea fans as he struck from 30 yards.
“I remember we had dinner together the night before the match and I was quite nervous,” Di Matteo exclusively tells FourFourTwo. “It was my first major final and a huge occasion for the club.
“Ruud came over to me and said, ‘Don’t worry, lovely boy, we’re going to win tomorrow!’ That really calmed me down.
“I remember getting goosebumps during the national anthem. Wembley was completely sold out – half blue, half red. Obviously it was unbelievable to score a goal like that so early.”
Eddie Newton bagged a second late on to ensure Chelsea would triumph in the Cup. Reliving his memory of the goal, Di Matteo explains what compelled him to pull the trigger from so far out on such a big occasion.
“I dribbled into the Middlesbrough half and Mark Hughes made a run that dragged the defenders backwards,” he explains. “They just kept backing away and I thought, ‘I might have a go here’, and it came off my foot sweetly.
“It was crazy when the ball struck the crossbar and then the net – I started running towards the fans. We later scored a second goal and managed to get over the line. Winning the FA Cup was amazing.”
