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Barcelona 2 (Busquets 35, Iniesta 43)- Chelsea 2 (Ramires 45, Torres 90) (Agg. Barcelona 2-3 Chelsea)
Man of the Match – Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Chelsea finally have their revenge over the Catalan giants. In what can be described as a classic European game, Chelsea absorbed all of Barcelona’s pressure, and took their chances as well to book a date with destiny, on the 19th of May, in Munich.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg, and having rested most of their players in the important league clash at Arsenal, Chelsea named the same team, that managed to topple over Barcelona 6 days previously. Didier Drogba had recovered from a strain in time, to torment Barca’s shaky defence.
Barcelona, on the other hand, on the bounce of 2 defeats in a week, the second of which cost them the Spanish league title, in another absorbing encounter against arch rivals Real Madrid, made a few changes to their lineup. Gerard Pique returned in the centre of defence, to partner Carles Puyol, probably to counter the physical threat of Drogba. In what was to be a 3-4-3 formation, Javier Mascherano completed the defence. Young winder Isaac Cuenca too got a start, so did Alexis Sanchez, who scored, what is now a consolation game, as a substitute over the weekend.
Barcelona needed to attack from the word go, and they did. Chelsea seemed a bit short at coping with Barcelona’s possession. And, the first blow was struck, when Gary Cahill limped off, with just 12 minutes gone. In came, Portugal international Jose Bosingwa. This meant, Branislav Ivanovic moved back to the centre of defence.
Barcelona continued their relentless pressure on the Blues. Chelsea, had to rely on long ball tactics and used the physicality of Drogba up front. A long ball played, saw Pique, Drogba and Valdes contest for the same ball. In the process, a clash of bodies, saw Pique taking a bad hit on the head, and having to be taken off, to be replaced by Daniel Alves.
Barcelona’s pressure finally paid off, after some good work by Cuenca on the left. Busquets finished in front of an empty net, as the Catalans were clearly in the ascendancy. 2 minutes later, it seemed Chelsea had pressed the self-destruct button, as John Terry’s off the ball knee challenge on Alexis Sanchez, coupled with a bit of playacting from the Chilean, saw the Chelsea skipper being sent off. The sending off did seem a bit harsh. Chelsea now had to do it with 10 men against the best team in the world, over the last 2-3 seasons.
It seemed all over, and Barcelona were set for a rout, when Iniesta collected a Messi pass, and expertly finished past Cech to put Barca in a 2-1 lead on aggregate. Then, completely against the run of play, Frank Lampard, played a brilliant throughball to the tireless Ramires, who chipped Valdes, to give the Blues a lifeline, going into half-time. At this stage, it was Chelsea who would go through.
Barcelona began the second half with the same attacking intent as the first, and were immediately rewarded with a penalty when Drogba was rightly adjudged to have bought down Cesc Fabregas in the penalty box. Up came Lionel Messi, the best player on the planet. With 63 goals to his name, and 14 already in this season’s Champions League, he lost the battle of nerves with Petr Cech, who did his best to unsettle the Argentine. Messi’s penalty struck the post.
Chelsea defended astutely for the remainder of the half. Barcelona applied relentless pressure, with their pressing game, but they could hardly penetrate the Blue brick wall. Barca did get the occasional opportunity. Isaac Cuenca’s shot was well saved by Cech, and Messi struck the post again, from outside the penalty box. Cech, did manage to get a finger on it though.
With the Blaugrana having put all 11 men in attack, it was infact Chelsea who struck the decisive goal. Fernando Torres, much maligned this season, came on for Didier Drogba, and raced clear of Puyol, rounded Valdes, and scored to level the match 2-2, and win the tie for Chelsea 3-2 on aggregate.
Despite having only 28% possession of the ball in both ties, Chelsea managed to score 3 goals, all in injury times of halves, which proved to be the difference at the end.
However, they will be without key players such as John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles for the final, against Bayern Munich, in their own backyard, the Allianz Arena.
Match Ratings (Barcelona) –
Valdes (7) – Should have stuck to his line for Ramires’s shot, rather than making a wild gash. Didn’t get too many chances to make saves, though.
Pique (No Rating)
Puyol (7.5) – Struggled against Drogba all night.
Mascherano (7.5) – He too, couldn’t get the better of the Ivorian.
Xavi (7.5) – A taxing season has taken its toll, it seems.
Iniesta (7.5) – Like the last two games, never got into his comfort level at all.
Fabregas (7) – Struggled to make the incisive passes, he is renowned for.
Busquets (8) – The best player on the night for the Catalans. Scored a vital goal, and a polished display in midfield.
Sanchez (7) – Never looked to threaten Chelsea’s makeshift defence.
Cuenca (7.5) – Occasional flashes of brilliance from the youngster. Still has a lot to learn.
Messi (7.5) – Seems like the burden of expectation and fatigue has gotten into him, too. 63 goals, he has done his part. Needed some support. Mentally, too, he looked completely exhausted.
Subs –
Alves (7) – Always up attacking, and didn’t help out Puyol and Mascherano.
Keita (7) – Coming on as a sub, looked to give that extra bit in midfield. But, dissapointed.
Tello (7) – Injected some freshness, but only momentarily.
Match Ratings (Chelsea) –
Cech (9) – A brilliant display from the Czech.
Ivanovic (9) – In the absence of a recognized centre-half, played with great determination.
Cahill (No Rating)
Terry (5) – Poor on his part, to get a cheap red card.
Cole (8.5) – A fine performance at left-back.
Mikel (8) – Was given a hard time, but played a vital role, in manning the midfield.
Ramires (8) – Tireless, unsettling Barca’s defence, and scored the most vital of goals.
Meireles (7.5) – Hardly got a sniff of the ball, but off the ball movement was top notch.
Mata (6.5) – Dissapointing over the last two legs, but played his part, in the end.
Lampard (8) – Massive figure for Chelsea, in the absence of Terry. Rallied his troops, and did his bit to frustrate the opposition.
Drogba (8) – Hassled and harried the Barca defence, all night.
Subs –
Bosingwa (8.5) – A big display from him.
Kalou (7.5) – Seemed to do better than Mata, in going forward, and stifling.
Torres (7) – The goal must’ve done him wonders.
Team Ratings
Barcelona – 7.30
Chelsea – 7.73
