Quick Note on the Match: "Barcelona
took the lead through Deco in the 13th minute but surrendered
control midway through the first half and only atrocious finishing
from Bremen kept them in the game. Barcelona's Lionel Messi then
made a speedy impact after coming on in the 66th minute, the gifted
Argentine teenager winning a penalty for Ronaldinho to convert
11 minutes later that clinched victory for the Catalans."
GROUP STAGE
Quick Note on the Match: "Ronaldinho
delighted soccer fans and gave Barza the victory over italian
Udinese. Ronny scored with a superb curling free kick on 12 minutes,
added a second on 32 and and completed his treble with a last-minute
penalty. While his performance was the outstanding statistic of
the evening, it was the eye-catching creativity of his teenaged
teammate Argentinian Lionel Messi that lit it up."
GROUP STAGE
Quick Note on the Match:
"Samuel Eto’o grabbed the headlines this week in European
Champions League play as his club Barcelona advanced to the next
round of the Champions League with two matches still to play in
the group stage. Eto’o scored his first goal in the 14th
minute of the game as he was left unmarked and headed in a left
wing cross into the upper right corner of the goal. In the 40th
minute the Cameroonian marksman notched his second goal after
teenage sensation Lionel Messi passed to Ronaldinho who looked
one way while flicking on the ball in the other direction to Eto’o
on the left side of the penalty area. With a left footed shot
Eto’o powered the ball into the net. In the 65th minute
Eto’o grabbed his 3rd, and best, goal of the night after
receiving a pass from Messi he hooked a right footed shot from
outside the left side of the penalty area into the far upper corner
of the goal to complete his hat-trick."
16 -TEAM STAGE 1 st Leg
Quick Note on the Match:
"Asier del Horno was sent off after 36 minutes for a foul
on Lionel Messi. Dispite 10 men, Chelsea took the lead. Frank
Lampard's free-kick was aimed for Terry, who unnerved Motta into
turning the ball past Victor Valdes into his own net after 58
minutes. Barcelona levelled with 20 minutes left - and this time
it was Terry suffering the agony of scoring an own goal. And there
was no escape from rampant Barcelona with 10 minutes remaining,
with Rafael Marquez's cross finding Eto'o, who rose above Paulo
Ferreira at the far post to seal the win."
16 -TEAM STAGE 2 nd Leg
Quick Note on the Match:
"Ronaldinho came calling with 12 minutes remaining, causing
devastation in the visitors' defence and hearts. Superbly released
by Samuel Eto'o, the world player of the year ghosted away from
a diving challenge from Ricardo Carvalho, brushed aside John Terry's
despairing stop and drove the ball past Petr Cech. Strength, balance,
touch, pace: simply sensational. Nou Camp revelled in the sight
of Jose Mourinho going out of the Champions League, his Chelsea
side's exit confirmed by Ronaldinho's memorable strike."
QUARTER-FINALS 1 st Leg
Quick Note on the Match:
"Benfica keeper Marcelo Moretto turned in a man-of-the-match
performance as his side held favourites Barcelona in their quarter-final
first-leg. At times, given the fluidity and ambition of their
attacking play, Barcelona gave the impression of being the home
team. Invariably Ronaldinho was the originator of much of the
visitors' beguiling play, prompting his team-mates with his vision
and bewitching Benfica with his ball skills in equal measure.
But Barcelona were unable to take a goalscoring lead back to the
Nou Camp for next week's second leg, and that had much to do with
Moretto.
QUARTER-FINALS 2 nd Leg
Quick Note on the Match:
"Ronaldinho missed a penalty early on, but made up for it
by driving home the opener after a cross by Samuel Eto'o. Barcelona
missed a catalogue of chances and nearly threw away their lead
when Sabrosa Simao and Georgios Karagounis both went close in
the second-half. But in the dying minutes Eto'o got the goal he
deserved, taking Benetti's clever first-time cross on his chest
before smashing a half-volley past Moretto."
SEMI-FINALS 1 st Leg
Quick Note on the Match:
"Ludovic Giuly's fine second-half strike gave Barcelona a
crucial advantage after the first leg of their Champions League
semi-final with AC Milan. Giuly raced on to a perfect Ronaldinho
pass and fired past Dida to earn the visitors a win their display
deserved. They could have scored more, with Giuly forcing Dida
to save and Ronaldinho hitting the inside of a post too. Milan's
best chances fell to Alberto Gilardino, but he hit an upright
with one and and poked another effort wide."
SEMI-FINALS 2nd Leg
Quick Note on the Match:
"Barcelona deservedly clinched a Champions League final place
against Arsenal in Paris after a draw with AC Milan at the Nou
Camp. Milan keeper Dida kept Barcelona at bay, saving twice from
Samuel Eto'o and also denying Henrik Larsson. Andriy Shevchenko
missed Milan's best chance and had a goal ruled out, but Barcelona
defended a narrow first-leg lead and now play Arsenal on 17 May.
One of the classic cat-and-mouse games of intense, high-pressure
European football."
THE FINAL
Quick Note on the Match:
"Barcelona scored twice in the last 14 minutes to beat 10-man
Arsenal in the Champions League final in Paris. Sol Campbell's
thumping header gave Arsenal a 37th minute lead. Thierry Henry
missed a crucial chance to give Arsenal a two-goal lead before
Eto'o fired home with 14 minutes left. Henrik Larsson then set
up fellow substitute Juliano Belletti four minutes later to sink
the Gunners."
