Manchester United: The Champions League Final and The Road to Moscow

Introduction:
Whereas in my reviews, I generally tend to avoid spoilers, I can't imagine that there's much point in my doing that for this title, a Manchester United release, "The Champions League Final and The Road to Moscow 2008".

An interesting note is that the Final itself was listed by some websites to be released by ILC Sport, who deal with Chelsea FC releases. That was shunned when results did not go the way of the Blues.

"The Champions League Final and The Road to Moscow 2008" then, is a look at how Manchester United got the Final on 21st May 2008, and how they succeeded in winning the coveted trophy. Spread over two discs, there are extended highlights of each game here, as well as full coverage of the historic final.

Video:
Video is presented in 16:9 anamorphic PAL, and is excellent for a DVD of this genre.

It's unclear as to what source this video was taken from (ie. Standard or High Definition television), but either way, this is an exceptionally clean transfer that is a pleasure to view.





Audio:
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good. It's difficult to expect many audio frills from a sports event, and like it's video counterpart, this is a solid job.

Commentary is taken from both Sky Sports' and ITV's coverage of the Champions League, meaning that the commentary you hear here, is likely that which you heard watching the game live.





Overall:
"The Champions League Final and The Road to Moscow 2008" is an exercise in simplicity, but is exceptional in doing so.

On Disc One, we have extended highlights of every Manchester United Champions League match - including the Final - segued sensibly, and including much interview footage from Sir Alex Ferguson and his staff. On Disc Two, the Final is complete, including full extra time and penalties. It's action virtually all of the way, which is exactly the kind of "End of Season" document that fans crave.

Nine years after their previous Champions League triumph in Barcelona, United fans are still waiting for a full release of the Final on DVD (highlights are available), but here, within weeks of the end of the tournament, a tremendous set is available to keep, as a reminder of a remarkable season.

This is an essential DVD for all Manchester United fans, and perhaps even for fans of football in general.