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Match
Marcador del partit
- Date: Wednesday, 27 May
- Competition: ???label.competicio1???
- Stadium: Olímpico de Roma, Rome
Resultat:
- FC Barcelona: 2
- Manchester U.: 0
Match report
Match Report
Barça complete historic treble in Rome (2-0)
David Saura (enviat especial)
FC Barcelona created history on Wednesday evening as they won the UEFA Champions League in Rome to add to the domestic title and Copa del Rey thanks to goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi.
In a superb display of the type of football that has typified what has been a magnificent season,
Barça became the first team from the Spanish league to complete the unique treble as they ended
Manchester United’s run of 25 games unbeaten in the European competition.
Slow start
The predictions that the homegrown mix of players with star international names would find
the Red Devils a difficult team looked to be correct in the opening minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo
looked alert and lively, but Barça held tight and took control of proceedings. The Portuguese was
said to be one of the men to watch and he forced Víctor Valdés to make a save early on that
required Gerard Piqué to then meet the rebound and clear.
The opening goal
Guardiola’s team have won plaudits from around the world for their passing and
possession game and the more Xavi and Andrés Iniesta came into the game the tougher it became for
Ronaldo and United to employ the style of play that has seen them win the Premier League, Carling
Cup and World Club Cup this season.
After the English side’s bright start, Barcelona showed them the way to goal with
almost their first attack after ten minutes. Eto’o was picked out on the right of the area
and he stepped inside Nemanja Vidic before taking aim with a shot that Edwin van der Sar met but
was unable to keep out and the Cameroonian striker wheeled away to the corner flag to celebrate the
opening goal.
Style and technique
That goal gave the Blaugrana the confidence that they required and they lifted their game as
United began to have to chase and work in order to gain possession and try and find a way back into
the game, but they were unable to as Guardiola’s players started to enjoy themselves.
Lionel Messi was the focus of much attention in the build-up and he sent a drive just over
the bar from 25 yards out before Xavi lined up the first free-kick of the evening and saw his
effort curl just over the near post as Van der Sar came across to cover.
Attacking changes
After half-time, Sir Alex Ferguson looked to bolster his front line with the introduction of
Carlos Tévez in place of Anderson, but even that move did not allow United to prevent Barcelona
from creating more chances to wrap up the encounter. Henry moved away from Rio Ferdinand in the
50th minute and sent saw his shot saved by the keeper before Xavi sent a low free-kick around the
wall and saw it cannon back of the post soon after as the Catalan outfit continued to dominate.
Last season Gerard Piqué picked up a medal as an unused player for Manchester United and just
a year later he became the first player to ever win the trophy with two different clubs in
consecutive years. Not only did he create history, but the defender was also outstanding in the
second period as he prevented his former club from finding a way back into the game. Even Dimitar
Berbatov came on to give United even more going forward were they unable to regularly break Barça
down.
Messi heads home
Valdés proved that he was still focussed as he raced to deny Ronaldo from close range, but
the keeper did not have a busy evening as the midfield dominated and a second goal for Barcelona
always looked likely and when it came it was a superb effort. Xavi looked up from a few yards
outside on the right of the area and clipped a cross beyond the defence where Messi rose and stayed
up to nod a textbook header beyond Van der Sar and into the far corner of the net with 70 minutes
on the clock.
That was the signal for the celebrations to begin being planned as Roma joined Wembley and
Paris in the Barça history books. An historic win on an historic night in an historic city was a
fitting tribute for the team of the season to complete their memorable treble.
Preview
Curiosities
Samuel Eto’o could become the first player in Barça history to score in two different
Champions League finals. He got the equaliser in Paris.
This is Barça’s 61st official game of the season. They’ve scored 155 goals in
that time, and amazing average of 2.55 a game.
If Barça win, it will be their third title in 14 days. On May 13 they won the cup, on the
16th they added the league, and a win on the 27th would round off an absolutely fantastic year.
‘Vogliamo la terza’
Roger Bogunyà
The Olympic Stadium in Rome is the venue for one of the most long-awaited Champions league finals of recent years (20.45). Barça are looking to win the title for the third time and also complete a historic treble.
Whatever happens, this will be a day to remember. FC Barcelona are in Rome for their sixth
Champions League final, and perhaps the most eagerly awaited of all. It has been an extraordinary
season for the club, but the defending champions, Manchester United, are a fearsome rival.
Up for the treble
This is the last game of a near-perfect season. Guardiola’s players have put a two-year
trophy drought behind them and produced nine months of delightful football. The Barça squad
includes no fewer than 11 homebred players, has gained international recognition, and is on the
verge of an unprecedented treble.
Two different styles
The final promises two contrasting approaches to football. Barça play a passing game and like
to keep possession, while United are all about strength, speed and counter attacks. There is much
more to this than a mere face-off between Messi and Ronaldo, the two best players of 2008. Neither
is it just about the important losses of Alves, Abidal and Fletcher to suspension, even though all
three are key absences. But just as decisive are the returns from injury of Iniesta and Henry, two
players that have made valiant efforts to be fit in time.
Problems at the back
Memories abound of Koeman’s goal at Wembley and Belletti’s at Saint-Denis and the
question now is whether it will be another defender that grabs the moment. That’s unlikely,
because other than Piqué and Puyol, Guardiola has a shortage of natural first choice defenders. He
may experiment, perhaps playing Touré at centre back, while one of his most important decisions is
who he plays at left back – it could be any of Keita, Sylvinho or Puyol (with Cáceres on the
right). That’s the area patrolled by Cristiano Ronaldo, and will undoubtedly require special
attention.
London, Paris... and Rome?
London, Paris and Rome – that’s the dream for all Barça fans on May 27. In the
language of the Eternal City: Vogliamo la terza. We want the third. The third Champions League. The
third title of the season. Something never to be forgotten.
