Sublime Barcelona beat United to claim treble
By AFP, 28 May 2009
- Tagged:
- Barcelona football, Champions League, football, Lionel Messi, Manchester United, Samuel Eto'o, World Football
Barcelona stunned holders Manchester United to win their third Champions League crown with a 2-0 victory here on Wednesday.
Goals from star forwards Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi gave the Catalans a deserved victory and denied United from becoming the first team to retain the title since the European Cup became the Champions League in 1993.
It gave the Spaniards a unique treble having already won their domestic league and cup and meant they repeated a feat United achieved in 1999, which Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson had then claimed would never be matched.
It crowned a marvellous debut season for his Barcelona counterpart Pep Guardiola, who at 38 becomes the youngest coach to take European club football’s greatest prize.
For Thierry Henry, it ended years of frustration after his then-team Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the 2006 final.
“Finally I have won it! I have been waiting for so long for this moment,” said the France great, whose daughter celebrated her birthday as well on Wednesday.
“The last five minutes were the longest of my life.
“Even if we were 2-0 up we were playing the best team in the world (referring to the world club championship title United won earlier this year).”
Barca overcame early jitters to dominate large parts of the game as the English club never managed to get their usual high tempo game into gear.
In a clash billed as the match of the century pitting the best two teams in the world – with each one boasting one of the best two players in the world – only one played to their full potential.
And Ferguson may be questioning his team selection having left both Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez on the United bench as Ryan Giggs played off lone striker Cristiano Ronaldo with Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-Sung confined to disciplined roles on the flanks.
Both sides may a nervy start with Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes and United’s Park – the first ever Asian player to play in a Champions League final – playing passes straight into touch.
But United settled quickest and Ronaldo had a purple patch in which he terrorised the Spaniards for 10 minutes.
He hit a 25-yard free-kick that Valdes couldn’t hold and former United defender Gerard Pique had to dive in to deflect Park’s follow-up away for a corner.
Ronaldo then lashed a fierce long range drive wide and later, after controlling the ball on his chest, he hit a left-foot volley that sailed agonisingly inches past the post.
The reigning champions were enjoying all the ball and chances but out of the blue Barca took the lead.
Andres Iniesta played in Eto’o who beat Nemanja Vidic inside the box and although Michael Carrick slid in to try to block his shot, he succeeded only in helping it past Edwin van der Sar.
That goal settled Barca into their usual stride and they started to weave the pretty patterns that have been mesmerising opponents all season, carrying them to the remarkable feat of scoring more than 150 goals.
As the half wore on United gradually lost their shape and rhythm with Sir Alex Ferguson responding late on by pushing Rooney up alongside Ronaldo and Giggs out to the left.
Barca began to wrestle control of the game and were keeping the ball with alarming ease.
Ferguson wasted no time in switching tactics, bringing on Tevez for Anderson at the break and reverting to a more regular 4-4-2, the Argentine playing alongside Ronaldo and Giggs dropping back into a deeper role.
But Barca were first to strike on the counter as Henry cut in from the flank and left Ferdinand on the seat of his pants before shooting weakly at van der Sar on 48 minutes.
The Spaniards were totally in the ascendancy and Xavi fired a free-kick off the post on 53 minutes with van der Sar beaten as Barca threatened to run riot.
The reigning champions steadied the ship and Ferguson signalled his intent when he threw Berbatov on for Park with a quarter of the match remaining.
But just as the tide seemed to be turning, Barca extended their lead from the most unlikely source as Xavi picked out Messi at the back post on the edge of the six yard box, the Argentine wizard’s looping header arcing into the top corner on 70 minutes.
© AFP 2012Recommend this story.
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May 28th 2009 @ 9:49am
Art Sapphire said | May 28th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Here is the most remarkable statistic of Barcelona’s fantastic triumph.
Valdés Youth system
Busquets Youth System
Puyol Youth system
Xavi Youth system
A. Iniesta Youth system
MF Messi Youth system
FW Henry €24m
Sylvinho € 2m
Touré Yaya € 9m
Piqué € 5m
FW Eto’o €24m
Of there starting XI – 6 players came out of their youth system.
This is remarkable for modern day football and a tribute to Barca.
Sure they might go out amd spend the big cash like every other big club, but the core of their team is local.
SJ – your sulking is bordeing on pathological. Why couldn’t you just stop with – “Yes, well done Barca. ”
We don’t need to read anymore about the semi-final “disgrace” as it has been discussed ad nauseum.
The other amazing aspect of United lame performance was SAF’s terrible tactics. It looks like he was hoping to win the game from an individual effort by Ronaldo. There was no game plan. He had no idea how to counter Barca’s Midfield.
Why didn’t play Ronaldo wide on the left to take on Sylvinho? Ridiculous.
May 28th 2009 @ 9:53am
Slippery Jim said | May 28th 2009 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Art Sapphire, you’re right, you don’t need to read it, feel free to skip over my posts, there’s a good chap. I agree, by the way that using Ronaldo as a lone striker (I didn’t watch the game, but so I am told) was an error by Fergie, if true.
What we learn from the final is that if you cheat and get away with it, that makes you the best team in the world and its great for football. Fine morals indeed.
May 28th 2009 @ 9:54am
Pippinu said | May 28th 2009 @ 9:54am | Report comment
Art
all good points – somewhere else I refer to six players being Catalan – it is remarkable in the modern game.
The days when football fans wanted to see their neighbour playing in the local team over and above seeing a winning team are long, long gone.
But in Barca’s case, if you’re Catalan – you’d love Barca like a member of your own family – I say good ‘em all.
May 28th 2009 @ 10:22am
Towser said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:22am | Report comment
I’ll back up the remarkable in the modern game regarding Barcelona. Lets even concentrate it more & make it more remarkable & say “Remarkable at the pinnacle of the modern game” as far as club football goes.
Dont care what club you follow to see such a dominant performance over a team with the likes of Ronaldo,Rooney,Tevez,Berbatov,Ferdinand in it is dare I say it remarkable.
The show pony outdone by the true talent,a man who can dribble the ball with such speed & control in a space smaller than an ants arse. Give Ronaldo no space, hes lost like cutting off his oxygen. Give Messi no space he creates it out of nothing.
One particular moment of Messi magic stood out to me. He was weaving in & out down the left, a defender was about to close him down,Messi caressed the ball I would say with the outside of the foot just enough to make ‘The ants arse” space. Any less of a touch & the defender would have got the ball,any more & it would have run out. He then somehow managed a very good cross into the middle. The Fozmaster was in Barcelona during last week interviewing their hierachy & checking out what makes the club tick.,particularly from the point of view of producing world class players themselves. If we can ever reproduce anything like the Barcelona way & see Australian players similar to Messi coming off our football production line ,we will be getting it right for both the A-League & the Socceroos.
May 28th 2009 @ 10:30am
Pippinu said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:30am | Report comment
I have defended C Ronaldo in recent weeks on this forum, and I still think he is just about the most complete player ever – but I must say one thing – his reputation for disappointing in big games was further exemplified this morning.
May 28th 2009 @ 10:31am
Colin N said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Do people not remember that this was virtually the same Manchester United side that destroyed Arsenal. Admittedly, it was a very poor Arsenal display, but don’t those players who played so well in the Semi deserve selection?
May 28th 2009 @ 10:32am
Slippery Jim said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Towser, I saw a great headline (Might have been on the Guardian) pre-match about the contest between Ronaldo and Messi: “The Showman V The Shy Man. Very clever.
May 28th 2009 @ 10:38am
Art Sapphire said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:38am | Report comment
SJ – I have been very good chap.
Not once did you see me take a position against you regarding the semi. I could understand where you were coming from.
But, I feel that I have to do the good samaritan thing and pull you up on it as it is getting out of hand.
Things to do to get over the injustice that you have experienced.
1. Drink so much you are incapable of posting rants on this website.
2. Take hallucinogenic drugs.
3. Visit a quack.
4. Take a holiday to Barcelona and pick up some of the local women
May 28th 2009 @ 10:41am
Towser said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Slippery JIm
Ronaldo is a great player one of the worlds best,no doubt, but he needs space. Modern football at the highest level is about reducing space for attackers. People often wonder why one game great players pop them in from anywhere,but the next their team lost because they had a multitude of half chances ,that never hit the back of the net. Space thats why, or lack of it in the latter case. Thats what half chances are to me at the top level,denial of space. Thats why a creator of space or creators of space like Barcelona win big matches in my book.
May 28th 2009 @ 10:43am
Pippinu said | May 28th 2009 @ 10:43am | Report comment
Catalan women – now we’re talking!!