Let me tell you about one of the cooler sporting experiences I recently had the privilege to enjoy at the back end of a vacation to London. Last weekend, my wife and I spent the afternoon at Stamford Bridge to end the Premier League season as Chelsea wrapped up a championship season.

First, let me tell you how we got there.

When we started planning the trip to London in early March, I looked at the calendar to see what soccer matches would be played on the days we were there. It didn’t take long to see that Chelsea would be at home on the final day of the Premier League season and were already sitting atop the table. It seemed like a pipe dream at that time because it would undoubtedly be the toughest ticket of the weekend.

So I did my research, hit up Reddit for info, even found a True Blue membership to use, but tickets sold out before I had any chance to buy them. No surprise there so I kept searching. I put out feelers on Twitter, asked some friends that might have a connection, but still no luck. The last hope was an outside chance that my brother-in-law could track down tickets through Delta, which is a major partner with Chelsea. But we ended up leaving for London with hopeful optimism but no tickets.

A couple days before the match, we got word that someone emailed to ask for our names. Could it actually happen? Turns out, yes.

On the final day of our trip, with an 8:10pm flight scheduled, we packed our bags and carried them with us on the Tube to Stamford Bridge for the 3pm kickoff. Delta has a Sky Lounge adjacent to the stadium and the concierge at the Millenium Hotel was extremely generous enough to check our bags during the game. After we cleared that hurdle, we walked back over to the lounge to get our tickets and have a pregame drink. As we were sitting there enjoying conversation, Johnnie Walker Black, and watching the fans file past the glass doors, a lovely lady named Tonya sat down and joined us.

“So I’m waiting on a few people to show up but they’re running late and I don’t know if they’re going to make it,” she said.

Ok, where is this headed?

“If they don’t show up, I have three extra tickets to the Delta suite inside the stadium if you’d like to join me.”

Seriously? I wouldn’t consider myself a super lucky person but I’ve had more than my fair share of favorable breaks when it came to getting tickets. This would rank up there with the most unlikely. About 20 minutes before game time, the tickets were ours and we left for the club level inside Stamford Bridge.

Time to experience a Chelsea match

We joined six others inside the suite and were welcomed with a glass of champagne. You can’t take alcohol into the stadium (a common policy in the UK) so we finished the drink quickly and went out into the stadium to watch player introductions and soak up the atmosphere.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the Premier League, the game had two huge storylines. First, Chelsea already clinched the title so this game was a two-hour celebration for the fans. And second, longtime captain John Terry was playing in his final match wearing the blues. At this point he doesn’t plan to retire, but his role with Chelsea has decreased quite a bit and he believes he can offer more to another club. I’m searching for a fair comparison to a player in American sports but I’d assume it’s like Derek Jeter retiring from the Yankees. That’s how much Terry is loved by the home fans and the club gave him a proper sendoff in the 26th minute after starting.

Many expected the game to be wide open considering neither team had anything to gain or lose. Sunderland struck in the first few minutes of the game to the delight of a few thousand away fans. That would end up being the team’s last Premier League goal until late 2018 at the earliest, but credit the fans for supporting the team until the bitter end. They chanted and exchanged taunts with Chelsea fans despite the looming relegation.

Chelsea didn’t waste anytime answering. After pressuring Sunderland’s defense for a few minutes, Willian finished this goal just five minutes later to even the score.

There wouldn’t be another goal in the first half, but it didn’t affect the crowd. The singing and praise rang out from every level of the stadium as the minutes ticked away on the 2016-17 season.

The second half remained slow until two goals in extra time sealed a 5-1 win. The most fascinating thing I recall from that half of play were the fans chanting manager Antonio Conte’s names for minutes at a time. The manager took his victory lap by returning applause to every direction of the stadium. You rarely see that kind of appreciation for a coach or manager in American sports. Players always come first, which made these moments pretty cool to see.

The time between the final whistle and the trophy presentation was interesting as well. Even though Chelsea already won the league, the top four positions weren’t set in stone. Arsenal still needed help to jump into that first four and earn a spot in the Champions League next year. The man on the PA provided fans with an update on scores around the league since every game finished at the same time. When they updated Arsenal’s win and confirmed the team didn’t do enough to get into the top four, another loud roar let out inside the stadium and an Arsene Wenger chant ensued. If I learned anything, it’s that English fans hate their rivals as much as they love their own team. Possibly more.

Despite a looming flight just three hours away and a commute of at least an hour, we hung around until the players were recognized and the trophy was raised to the beautiful Chelsea blue skies. As soon as it went up, we were up the stairs and out the exit. Mission accomplished and bucket list item crossed off.