Barcelona vs Manchester United

There was hardly any football fan around the globe who could have resisted the temptation of watching two of the most decorated and colourful teams in action against each other at the biggest stage of them all: the Champions League Final. And Manchester United could certainly have been clubbed as the home team with Wembley being a familiar ground to them. But it has over the years proved unlucky for them and Barcelona capped it off by inflicting a miserable afternoon for the Manchester side. It was total domination from perhaps one of the best teams in the world ever to have played this beautiful game and Lionel Messi proved once again why he is revered by all fans alike.

Fans from all over the world flocked from far and wide to scramble for match tickets and both sets of fans were ready with their usual preparations of banners, songs and camaraderie. And when the game started, Manchester United suddenly seemed like a team with a plan and a mission unsettling Barcelona in the first 10 minutes. It seemed Sir Alex Ferguson has got it right by starting Park and Chicharito. But Barcelona slowly started to come to terms with the conditioned and their slick passing game was starting to take centre stage. It was then when a nervous looking Manchester United lost the plot. Consistent pressure from Barcelona paid dividends when A pass to the left to Pedro found him unmarked who coolly slotted the ball past Van der Sar. The Dutchman paid the price for not covering the near post and Evra looked totally absent from the field.

But United made an immediate mark when Rooney, arguably their best outfield player on the day found Ryan Giggs on the edge of the penalty box who pushed the ball in the path of Rooney. And Rooney blasted it past Valdes to score the equalizer. And the scoreline remained 1-1 at half time.

The Second half began in usual fashion with Barcelona dominating and they never let Manchester United take control. And when suddenly it seemed that amidst much pressure, United would rally to hold off waved of Barcelona attack, in came The God Lionel Messi. Absolutely stunning throughout the night, he jiggled past defenders to smash the ball in to the bottom corner. Barcelona fans were ecstatic. And David Villa finished off the match in style by scoring a wonderful curling goal past the Dutchman who had no chance whatsoever.

Manchester United paid the price for an ineffective and poor performance on the nioght when much was expected from them. The defensive duo of Vidic and Ferdinand looked out of sorts against the formidable attack. Evra was nowhere to be seen. Fabio however was the lone bright spot as he held off attacks from his flank. The midfield machine was bamboozled by the intricate passing of Xavi and Iniesta and barring the assist Giggs did not play any telling contribution.  Rooney was the man who seemed to have been steering united forward.

Another triumph for the golden generation of Barcelona and another year passes by. We hope that next year would be as exciting and competitive as this year if not more.

Tags: Barcelona, Champions League, Europe, Football, Lionel Messi, Manchester United