Barcelona produced a sublime performance to beat Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final at Wembley.
Goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa punctuated a mesmeric team display as the Catalan side lifted club football's biggest prize for the fourth time.
Wayne Rooney fired a superb first-half equaliser for United, cancelling out Pedro's opener, but the Premier League champions were eventually blown away by superior opponents.
Edwin van der Sar's final game before retirement ended in disappointment, with the Dutchman at fault for letting Messi's low strike scuttle past him early in the second half.
And Sir Alex Ferguson was unable to slow the Spanish team's super-slick passing, suffering a second final defeat to them within three years.
This repeat of the 2009 final, which Barca won 2-0, produced a similarly one-sided outcome and cemented Pep Guardiola's team's place among the great club sides.
Messi took his goal tally to 100 in the last two seasons, and produced yet another demonstration of skill, strength and devastating finishing.
Eric Abidal started at left-back after making a remarkable recovery from surgery on a liver tumour in March - in a wonderful touch, he was handed the captain's armband at the end and allowed to lift the triophy.
However, the Catalans' captain Carles Puyol - struggling with injury - was consigned to the bench with the diminutive Javier Mascherano playing centre-back.
Ferguson fielded the same starting XI that won 2-0 away to Schalke in the semi-final first leg, but sprung a surprise by leaving Dimitar Berbatov out of the squad altogether.
As they did two years ago, United started positively, passing with intent and closing down. Then, just as in Rome, Barca took control of the game.
Xavi completed his first 40 passes before any United player had reached double figures, and the Liga champions' tiki-taka started to tell - especially in conjunction with the remarkable pressing job on the rare occasions Barca gave the ball away.
Rio Ferdinand had to slide in accurately on Villa as he prepared to pull the trigger, while his defensive partner Nemanja Vidic was equally precise when nicking the ball off the brilliant Messi.
Pedro might have opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour, and Villa fired two sighters, but there was no reprieve on 27 minutes when Xavi stabbed a majestic pass to Pedro in space on the right, and the finish was low past Van der Sar.
United were on the ropes, but Rooney responded superbly. After a brilliant one-two with Michael Carrick, he raced inside from the right and exchanged passes with Ryan Giggs - who looked marginally offside - before finishing into the top-left corner.
A brilliant goal from a player sometimes accused of going missing on the big occasions - though they hardly deserved it, United were level.
Barcelona do not get fazed easily, and pressed on undeterred - they might have re-taken the lead just before the break when the sliding Messi just failed to meet a Villa centre.
Messi blasted Barca back in front on 54 minutes with a low shot from the edge of the box. Van der Sar was out of position and will be disappointed to have let through a shot that did not find the corner.
By now, United were under siege, struggling to withstand wave after wave of attacks, with Messi absolutely rampant.
The coup de grace came just over 20 minutes from time, when Messi carried the ball into the box. United seemed to have the situation under control, but when recently introduced substitute Nani miscontrolled, Villa curled a beautiful shot into the top right corner.
Barca are so good at keeping the ball, there was no way back. Rooney continued to toil, but with Giggs and Javier Hernandez particularly quiet, they never looked like making their opponents sweat.
For a Barcelona side packed with players in their early and mi-20s, immortality beckons. On this form, it could be years before anyone knocks them off their perch.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Fulham gets a late equalizer
Brede Hangeland redeemed an earlier own goal to head in a deserved equaliser as Fulham came from behind twice to take a share of the spoils.
It had looked like the defender had gifted Manchester United all three points as a nasty deflection off his shin had put United in front with just eight minutes remaining.
Both teams started off lively at Craven Cottage, with the majority of possession belonging to Manchester United, with the home side trying to rely mainly on the counter attack.
As United continued to keep the ball and pushed further forward, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken, and Dimitar Berbatov was unlucky not to see his name on the scoresheet as a brilliant acrobatic volley was tipped over by an even more spectacular save from David Stockdale.
In the end it was only going to be one man to provide the breakthrough and Paul Scholes did just that. A fantastic lay-off from Berbatov allowed Scholes to run onto and drill a low, blistering shot into the bottom left-hand corner of Stockdale’s net from 25 yards out to register his 150th goal in all competitions for United.
Unlike with Wigan Athletic yesterday, Fulham kept their heads up after going down and came close to an immediate response when Bobby Zamora’s flick-on found Simon Davies, who attempted an impressive volley which sailed just over the angle of post and crossbar from 20 yards.
But United kept coming back as Javier Hernandez, who started in favour of Michael Owen, came close to scoring his first goal in the Premier League when he pounced on a Darren Fletcher pass to fire just wide from the edge of the area, followed by a fierce drive from Berbatov which was foiled by a strong hand from Stockdale.
Despite the continued pressure from last season’s runners-up, Fulham suddenly found themselves with a golden opportunity to equaliser and Dickson Etuhu really should have. A neat flick into the box by Clint Dempsey let the Nigerian in, and his first low shot was well saved by the Dutchman in goal and then the rebound was powered into the pitch to pop up for Edwin Van der Sar, who was still on the floor, to grasp out and tip the ball over the bar for a fantastic double save.
Fulham again refused to be demoralised and an entertaining end-to-end game was materialising.
Fulham came out at the beginning of the second half in a new set of strips due to the old set were “sweat-retaining”, and, as with the famous United kit change against Southampton in 1996, it immediately paid dividends as 10 minutes into the second half Fulham were level.
Clever work on the right flank by Damien Duff found Zamora in space in the area, his smart cut-back allowed an onrushing Simon Davies to hammer past Van der Sar for a deserved equaliser.
The Cottagers could have found themselves in front mere minutes later as Nemanja Vidic appeared to pull Moussa Dembele over inside the area, but the referee waved away the strong penalty appeals.
As the game entered the latter stages, both teams were going all out for the win, first Nani whizzed in a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque freekick, that dipped a little too late to really trouble Stockdale, then, down the other end, Paul Konchesky floated in a long free-kick aimed at Zamora, the England international connected with it well but could only watch in vain as it trickled past the far post.
Zamora may have lived to regret that missed chance as just five minutes later, Ryan Giggs whipped in a corner for United and, with no red shirts around him, Brede Hangeland was the victim of a nasty deflection off his knee to send the away team into the lead of the second time.
The drama wasn’t over there either as just one minute later, United were given the chance to put the game to bed as Damien Duff was harshly ruled to have handled the ball inside his own area, but Stockdale, who was fantastic throughout the match, was more than a match for Nani’s penalty attempt.
Fulham would survive to thank Stockdale, as in the 90th minute of normal time, Brede Hangeland redeemed himself for the earlier own goal to jump high and power a header low past Van der Sar in goal to bring the west London side back level for the second time and to give his team a deserved share of the spoils.
It had looked like the defender had gifted Manchester United all three points as a nasty deflection off his shin had put United in front with just eight minutes remaining.
Both teams started off lively at Craven Cottage, with the majority of possession belonging to Manchester United, with the home side trying to rely mainly on the counter attack.
As United continued to keep the ball and pushed further forward, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken, and Dimitar Berbatov was unlucky not to see his name on the scoresheet as a brilliant acrobatic volley was tipped over by an even more spectacular save from David Stockdale.
In the end it was only going to be one man to provide the breakthrough and Paul Scholes did just that. A fantastic lay-off from Berbatov allowed Scholes to run onto and drill a low, blistering shot into the bottom left-hand corner of Stockdale’s net from 25 yards out to register his 150th goal in all competitions for United.
Unlike with Wigan Athletic yesterday, Fulham kept their heads up after going down and came close to an immediate response when Bobby Zamora’s flick-on found Simon Davies, who attempted an impressive volley which sailed just over the angle of post and crossbar from 20 yards.
But United kept coming back as Javier Hernandez, who started in favour of Michael Owen, came close to scoring his first goal in the Premier League when he pounced on a Darren Fletcher pass to fire just wide from the edge of the area, followed by a fierce drive from Berbatov which was foiled by a strong hand from Stockdale.
Despite the continued pressure from last season’s runners-up, Fulham suddenly found themselves with a golden opportunity to equaliser and Dickson Etuhu really should have. A neat flick into the box by Clint Dempsey let the Nigerian in, and his first low shot was well saved by the Dutchman in goal and then the rebound was powered into the pitch to pop up for Edwin Van der Sar, who was still on the floor, to grasp out and tip the ball over the bar for a fantastic double save.
Fulham again refused to be demoralised and an entertaining end-to-end game was materialising.
Fulham came out at the beginning of the second half in a new set of strips due to the old set were “sweat-retaining”, and, as with the famous United kit change against Southampton in 1996, it immediately paid dividends as 10 minutes into the second half Fulham were level.
Clever work on the right flank by Damien Duff found Zamora in space in the area, his smart cut-back allowed an onrushing Simon Davies to hammer past Van der Sar for a deserved equaliser.
The Cottagers could have found themselves in front mere minutes later as Nemanja Vidic appeared to pull Moussa Dembele over inside the area, but the referee waved away the strong penalty appeals.
As the game entered the latter stages, both teams were going all out for the win, first Nani whizzed in a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque freekick, that dipped a little too late to really trouble Stockdale, then, down the other end, Paul Konchesky floated in a long free-kick aimed at Zamora, the England international connected with it well but could only watch in vain as it trickled past the far post.
Zamora may have lived to regret that missed chance as just five minutes later, Ryan Giggs whipped in a corner for United and, with no red shirts around him, Brede Hangeland was the victim of a nasty deflection off his knee to send the away team into the lead of the second time.
The drama wasn’t over there either as just one minute later, United were given the chance to put the game to bed as Damien Duff was harshly ruled to have handled the ball inside his own area, but Stockdale, who was fantastic throughout the match, was more than a match for Nani’s penalty attempt.
Fulham would survive to thank Stockdale, as in the 90th minute of normal time, Brede Hangeland redeemed himself for the earlier own goal to jump high and power a header low past Van der Sar in goal to bring the west London side back level for the second time and to give his team a deserved share of the spoils.
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