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| CONVINCING: Barcelona's players celebrate with the European Cup |
BARCELONA turned on the style last Saturday, overcoming Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley Stadium to regain the UEFA Champions League. It is a third title in six years for the La Liga champions, who now are equal holders for the most Champions League’s (three, with bitter arch rivals Real Madrid). After the match, Pepe Guardiola confirmed he would be staying with the Catalans for another season, and on the evidence of this performance, he would have been crazy to think about leaving the Nou Camp. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, who have made everyone look ordinary in the Premiership this season, were made to look distinctively average by Barcelona’s fearsome attack, which would have anyone quaking in their boots.
Like the 2009 final encounter between the sides in Rome, it was the English champions who started the stronger. Javier Mascherano, playing as an emergency centre-back, seemed uncertain against Wayne Rooney in the opening exchanges. Ferguson had shocked Dimitar Berbatov by leaving his top scorer this season out of the squad, which will raise serious questions over the Bulgarian’s long-term future at Old Trafford. From the 15th minute onwards, Barcelona started launching raid after raid on Edwin van der Sar’s goal. Only some desperate defending from Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand kept the scoreline at 0-0 until the 27th minute. Xavi was given the freedom of the Wembley pitch, and played in Pedro, who stayed cool under a late attempted block from Vidic to beat Van der Sar, in his farewell football appearance.
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| HOPE: Given to United by Rooney, but it was a false dawn |
If anyone questioned the resolve of Manchester United, then the response was fantastic. Barcelona carelessly gave possession away from a cheap throw-in and Rooney combined superbly with the off-colour Ryan Giggs to produce a stunning strike from the edge of the area, which left Victor Valdes with no chance. Finally, Rooney had been able to produce on the biggest stage of all, after his peripheral roles in the 2008 and 2009 Champions League finals. With the scoreline at 1-1 at half-time, the game was firmly in the balance. What happened after the break highlighted the gulfing class between the two teams.
Ten minutes into the second half, and with the United defence rocking, and Van der Sar having to be at his best to deny Daniel Alves, Messi seized his moment. He stepped away from Ferdinand, and fizzled a shot which an unsighted Van der Sar couldn’t keep out. The Dutchman will be disappointed to have not done better, but Messi wasn’t complaining. That was the Argentine’s 53rd goal of a staggering season. With Darren Fletcher sill nursing a stomach bug, and Michael Owen not quite having the ultimate killer instinct he used to have at Liverpool, Ferguson’s substitute options were limited. His only main weapon was Nani. The dynamic Portuguese winger came on in the 68th minute for the injured Fabio, and made an immediate telling impact. Sadly, it was the wrong kind of impact.
Nani gave away the ball on the edge of his own area, and a deadly Barcelona attack was never going to not punish this careless act of possession. David Villa producing another beautiful goal, curling a shot in that gave Van der Sar no hope of keeping his attempt out. That was that, Barcelona had completed the ultimate football performance. There was time for Paul Scholes to make a brief cameo before he announced his retirement from the game today, and for Nani to create a late moment of panic for the untroubled Valdes. However, this was undoubtedly Barcelona’s night, Barcelona’s season and Barcelona’s best performance ever.
There was a nice touch at the end of the game. Club captain Carlos Puyol allowed left-back Eric Abidal the chance to lift the European Cup. Abidal had undergone life-saving liver surgery just 70 days ago! His comeback to lift football’s greatest club competition prize is a story full of emotion and miracles. For United, it isn’t the end of the world, but Ferguson knows he must come back next season, with a stronger and better squad, otherwise Barcelona will dominate European club football again. There could be no complaints in the greatest final performance since AC Milan’s 4-0 demolition of Barcelona themselves in the 1994 final. The class of Barcelona 2011 is quite possibly the greatest team to have graced the game. They thoroughly deserve to be champions for such a special occasion and on this evidence, Guardiola has the ability to produce a side that can dominate European football for the next decade.
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