Monday, May 30, 2011

To the team that makes football beautiful...

BARCELONA 3 (Pedro 27, Messi 54, Villa 69) MANCHESTER UNITD (Rooney 34)

Chris Hatherall at Wembley Stadium

THE inscription in Pele’s autobiography read simply “I dedicate this book to all those who make the game beautiful”. Now, 24 years on, there couldn’t be a better strap line for a match report of Barcelona’s wonderful performance against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League Final as they proved once and for all they have no peers.
Has there ever been a team in the history of football that plays the game this way?
Pep Guardiola’s side have the wonderful natural skills of the Brazilian greats – take a look at David Villa’s impudent goal here at Wembley to confirm that; in Messi they have a dribbler of such pace, balance and panache that a comparison with Diego Maradona or George Best – who graced the final at this same ground in 1968 – is not unwarranted; and to top it all they have the passing skills of the Dutch masters combined with a high-energy pressing game that has not been matched by any side in history.
United, with all their own history, all their own skills and passion – and with Wayne Rooney sweating blood for the cause – did everything in their power to try and stop them and were even level 1-1 at half-time.
But a final glance at the statistics show Barca had almost 70 per cent possession, created a dozen chances and restricted their rivals to only one shot on target – Rooney’s 34th minute effort that equalised an opener which had been set up by the outstanding Xavi and finished sweetly by Pedro.
United fans and players will be distraught at the final scoreline – the disappointment on the faces of Ferguson’s squad was clear for all to see; but when they reflect on the game tomorrow they will know they simply lost to a wonderful side who would have beaten anyone placed in front of them.
Some of the football played by Guardiola’s team was a joy to see; swift inter-passing, remarkable, mazy runs from Messi and improbable almost impossible-to-see through-balls from Xavi and Iniesta.
The opening goal was created by Xavi’s vision and finished sweetly and ruthlessly by Pedro –a player not even regarded as one of Barca’s superstars but who played a major part in their victory.
Rooney’s equaliser – a one-two at pace with Giggs and a wonderful finish – made Barca prove they know how to fight, too, and they dominated the second half - forcing van der Sar into four smart saves as well as producing two wonderful goals that would grace any European final.
The pictures of man-of-the-match Messi racing towards his own fans after whipping home a left-foot effort that was all of his own making will be one of the iconic images of the final, as will the post-match ticker-tape celebrations; but perhaps the real crowning glory was David Villa’s impudent chip – the Spaniard somehow finding time to trap the ball in the middle of the area before lifting it expertly into the top corner.
Now that really was true qualty.
As for United, they must know there is absolutely no shame in losing to a goal like that; absolutely no shame in being second best on a night when football finally found a way to forget about corruption, super-injunctions and controversies and remember what the sport is meant to be about.
At last, after everyting we have been through, the people who make football beautiful are back in charge.

Man Utd Van der Sar, Fabio Da Silva (Nani 69), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick (Scholes 76), Giggs, Park,Rooney, Hernandez.

Barcelona Valdes, Dani Alves (Puyol 88), Mascherano, Pique, Abidal, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Villa (Keita 86), Messi, Pedro (Afellay 90).

Att: 87,695

Ref: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).

 

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/P5y21ME9yiE/post.aspx

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