Kevin LustigCL Semi-Final Wrap Up: Manchester United v. FC Barcelona
April 29th 2008 21:56
A scrappy Manchester United put an end to Barcelona's dreams of silverware this season with a single goal in two matches by Red Devils' stalwart Paul Scholes.
In the first leg of the semi-final tie, Manchester United hunkered down around their goal box in the Camp Nou from the first minute and stayed there. Barcelona looked fierce in moving the ball around and seemed prepared to attack tirelessly to earn a goal. At one point, nine of Barca's eleven players were in United's third of the field. Chances, runs and even extended passing spells by the English side were few and far between. However, no matter how many times Barcelona's skillful attacks built up and crashed against United's defenders, they broke and receded with nothing to show for it. At first it seemed as though Manchester United were simply being outfoxed and outplayed. Yet, when pass after pass failed to find any chinks in the Red Devils' defensive armor, it quickly became clear that the squad were attempting nothing more than to head home without any goals against them. A lucky break for an away goal would have been a nice bonus, but Man U never came forward with enough men to make that seem likely. They aimed at the clean sheet and were glad to get it. The match ended 0-0.
The second match was guaranteed to be a different affair. With Barcelona needing a goal and Manchester United needing to win to progress, both teams' managers promised plenty of aggression. The first sign of that aggression came in the tackles of the first few minutes of the game. Players clattered into each other up and down the field, the men from both teams signaling that they were there to strike. Barcelona's passing style was better suited to the more open field and they had the better time of it, but again, they had no spark in their attack and couldn't find a decent shot, let alone the net, for much of the match. A furious round of passes, some dangerous and others the result of poor decision making, ended up putting the ball at the feet of Paul Scholes in the 14th minute. With his many years of service to Manchester United in Europe and at home, Scholes seemed to know there wouldn't be chances to be wasted in this match. He latched onto the ball in perfect form and sent it screaming 30 yards into the net. 1-0 to Manchester United remained the score going in to the half. In the interest of exciting football, many fans were surely concerned that Sir Alex Ferguson would duck his head back into his shell for the second half and sit on the lone goal advantage. Perhaps surprisingly, United spent much of the game's second period pressing forward for a second goal to seal the deal. Barcelona did the same, sending Lionel Messi up the right-hand side and then up the middle time and again, with no result. It seemed as though at any moment, Barcelona would level things up and take the advantage with an away goal or that Manchester United would put the game out of reach with a second score. Neither of these game changers was forthcoming, however. About six minutes past the end of regular time, an extended stoppage time period due to an injury to Patrice Evra in the extra minutes, the referee blew his whistle with both teams still running their legs off. Manchester United 1, Barcelona 0 was the final on the night and on aggregate. United are headed for an all-English Champions League final.
Over the course of the two legs, it would be impossible to say that winners Manchester United had the better of the run of play. In fact, possession minutes in the first match were 2-1 in Barcelona's favor. United's goal scorers were also quiet, with Rooney actually defending for much of the first match and not even making an appearance in the second leg due to injury. However, they achieved all of the tasks that a shrewd Sir Alex Ferguson knew they would have to: they shut down Barcelona's attack, kept the passing game well-contained enough to keep the game from getting out of control and, of course, they put a mark on the score sheet. Fans had plenty to fret about in both legs, with tenuous 0-0 and 1-0 score lines lasting most or all of the matches. Both matches seemed not only able, but likely, to go Barcelona's way on numerous occasions. However, an impressively disciplined Manchester United squad played exactly the matches that they wanted to play, and they have the victory to show for it. The prizes for flair and skill go unquestionably to Barcelona, probably the better club over the two legs. But discipline, scrap and will won the tie, and those belonged undoubtedly to Manchester United, now headed for Moscow. Barcelona now go home to finish out a season without trophies, and will undoubtedly be looking to make some changes to a squad that's long on talent but short on morale and locker room cohesion.
In a pair of matches in which Cristiano Ronaldo hoped to continue catching up to Denis Law's Red Devils goalscoring record and Wayne Rooney was supposed to turn on the class, in turned out that the Man of the Match couldn't come from anywhere but Manchester United's amazing defense. Particularly impressive was the play of Patrice Evra. Manchester United will have to hope that the knock he received after the 90th minute of the second match will be something he's able to shake off quickly, because Evra was the class of both matches and will surely have a role to play in the remaining Premier League matches and the Champions League final. In the first leg, he was a wall for United, deflecting passes and shots and deftly removing the ball from the feet of Barcelona players. In the second, he did all of this while adding menacing runs far into Barca territory. Evra's a gem for United who's overshadowed by some of his better-known teammates, but who regardless has played some true star-caliber games and was the clear Man of the Match for both legs of this UEFA semi-final.
In the first leg of the semi-final tie, Manchester United hunkered down around their goal box in the Camp Nou from the first minute and stayed there. Barcelona looked fierce in moving the ball around and seemed prepared to attack tirelessly to earn a goal. At one point, nine of Barca's eleven players were in United's third of the field. Chances, runs and even extended passing spells by the English side were few and far between. However, no matter how many times Barcelona's skillful attacks built up and crashed against United's defenders, they broke and receded with nothing to show for it. At first it seemed as though Manchester United were simply being outfoxed and outplayed. Yet, when pass after pass failed to find any chinks in the Red Devils' defensive armor, it quickly became clear that the squad were attempting nothing more than to head home without any goals against them. A lucky break for an away goal would have been a nice bonus, but Man U never came forward with enough men to make that seem likely. They aimed at the clean sheet and were glad to get it. The match ended 0-0.
The second match was guaranteed to be a different affair. With Barcelona needing a goal and Manchester United needing to win to progress, both teams' managers promised plenty of aggression. The first sign of that aggression came in the tackles of the first few minutes of the game. Players clattered into each other up and down the field, the men from both teams signaling that they were there to strike. Barcelona's passing style was better suited to the more open field and they had the better time of it, but again, they had no spark in their attack and couldn't find a decent shot, let alone the net, for much of the match. A furious round of passes, some dangerous and others the result of poor decision making, ended up putting the ball at the feet of Paul Scholes in the 14th minute. With his many years of service to Manchester United in Europe and at home, Scholes seemed to know there wouldn't be chances to be wasted in this match. He latched onto the ball in perfect form and sent it screaming 30 yards into the net. 1-0 to Manchester United remained the score going in to the half. In the interest of exciting football, many fans were surely concerned that Sir Alex Ferguson would duck his head back into his shell for the second half and sit on the lone goal advantage. Perhaps surprisingly, United spent much of the game's second period pressing forward for a second goal to seal the deal. Barcelona did the same, sending Lionel Messi up the right-hand side and then up the middle time and again, with no result. It seemed as though at any moment, Barcelona would level things up and take the advantage with an away goal or that Manchester United would put the game out of reach with a second score. Neither of these game changers was forthcoming, however. About six minutes past the end of regular time, an extended stoppage time period due to an injury to Patrice Evra in the extra minutes, the referee blew his whistle with both teams still running their legs off. Manchester United 1, Barcelona 0 was the final on the night and on aggregate. United are headed for an all-English Champions League final.
Over the course of the two legs, it would be impossible to say that winners Manchester United had the better of the run of play. In fact, possession minutes in the first match were 2-1 in Barcelona's favor. United's goal scorers were also quiet, with Rooney actually defending for much of the first match and not even making an appearance in the second leg due to injury. However, they achieved all of the tasks that a shrewd Sir Alex Ferguson knew they would have to: they shut down Barcelona's attack, kept the passing game well-contained enough to keep the game from getting out of control and, of course, they put a mark on the score sheet. Fans had plenty to fret about in both legs, with tenuous 0-0 and 1-0 score lines lasting most or all of the matches. Both matches seemed not only able, but likely, to go Barcelona's way on numerous occasions. However, an impressively disciplined Manchester United squad played exactly the matches that they wanted to play, and they have the victory to show for it. The prizes for flair and skill go unquestionably to Barcelona, probably the better club over the two legs. But discipline, scrap and will won the tie, and those belonged undoubtedly to Manchester United, now headed for Moscow. Barcelona now go home to finish out a season without trophies, and will undoubtedly be looking to make some changes to a squad that's long on talent but short on morale and locker room cohesion.
In a pair of matches in which Cristiano Ronaldo hoped to continue catching up to Denis Law's Red Devils goalscoring record and Wayne Rooney was supposed to turn on the class, in turned out that the Man of the Match couldn't come from anywhere but Manchester United's amazing defense. Particularly impressive was the play of Patrice Evra. Manchester United will have to hope that the knock he received after the 90th minute of the second match will be something he's able to shake off quickly, because Evra was the class of both matches and will surely have a role to play in the remaining Premier League matches and the Champions League final. In the first leg, he was a wall for United, deflecting passes and shots and deftly removing the ball from the feet of Barcelona players. In the second, he did all of this while adding menacing runs far into Barca territory. Evra's a gem for United who's overshadowed by some of his better-known teammates, but who regardless has played some true star-caliber games and was the clear Man of the Match for both legs of this UEFA semi-final.
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