Magic moment: Torres celebrates after bagging the goal
which confirmed Chelsea's position in the final
Barcelona: Valdes, Puyol, Pique (Dani
Alves 26), Mascherano, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Cuenca (Tello 58),
Messi, Sanchez, Fabregas (Keita 74).
Subs not used:
Pinto, Thiago, Pedro, Adriano.
Booked: Iniesta, Messi.
Goals: Busquets 35, Iniesta
43.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill
(Bosingwa 12), Terry, Cole, Obi, Meireles, Mata (Kalou 58),
Lampard, Ramires, Drogba (Torres 80).
Subs not used: Turnbull, Essien,
Malouda, Sturridge.
Booked: Cech,
Ivanovic, Ramires, Lampard Mikel.
Sent off:
Terry.
Goals: Ramires
45+1, Torres 90+2
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir
(Turkey)
Amid the chaos created by a captain’s insane
indiscipline, Chelsea’s Incredibles emerged on Tuesday
night.
This was a group of players who somehow survived for 54
minutes in the absence of the dismissed John Terry and secured
their passage to the Champions League final; a team who stopped a
Barcelona side that had already scored 102 goals at home this
season before this semi-final began.
In doing so, they joined the ranks of the European
greats.
Manager Roberto Di Matteo was whistling when he walked
through the media zone shortly after the final whistle, cool as you
like.
But an Italian — who might just lose the ‘interim’ part of
his job title before long — had masterminded an astonishing
victory.
It was a performance that might have superseded Manchester
United’s display on this same Nou Camp pitch in 1999, when they
beat Bayern Munich in the final. It might even have been the
most extraordinary contest witnessed in this
competition.
By the end Di Matteo had organised his side in a 6-3
formation, with Salomon Kalou doubling up alongside Ramires at
right back and Fernando Torres sitting outside Ashley Cole at left
back. Want to know how to cope with Barcelona’s big pitch? Just
play four full backs.
Opener: Busquets opens the scoring on the night -
sliding the ball home from seven yards out and celebrates
(below)
That Ramires and Torres also scored Chelsea’s
goals made it all the more memorable and that bit more special. The
first came from the Brazilian just before the interval when it
seemed Barcelona were on the road to Bavaria, while Torres added
the coup de grace in second-half stoppage time.
Together with Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles,
Ramires will miss the final because of the booking he received here
last night.
But that did not stop him sprinting the full length of
the field, from his new position in the makeshift back-four,
to run on to a pass from Frank Lampard before sending a quite
brilliant chip over the advancing Victor Valdes and into the
net.
Double your money: Iniesta rounds off a wonderful move
to extend Barca's lead on the night
It was amazing. It was Roy Keane — who missed that 1999
final — in a Chelsea shirt. It was enough to make grown men
cry.
When Chelsea fans who were here share their recollections
of the night, they will reflect on that moment in the context
of the 10 or so dramatic minutes that came
before.
Chelsea had done well to limit Barcelona to one decent
chance in the opening half an hour, with Petr Cech denying Lionel
Messi after the best player on the planet had executed a marvellous
one-two with Cesc Fabregas.
Smash and grab: Chelsea found themselves back in charge
via Ramires' delicate strike on the stroke of half-time
But it was looking ominous for the visitors the moment
they lost Cahill to injury after only 12 minutes, forcing Di
Matteo to deploy Jose Bosingwa on the flank and move Ivanovic to
centre half.
In those 10 first-half minutes, though, Chelsea appeared
to collapse and capitulate.
It started when Sergio Busquets met a neat cross from
Isaac Cuenca to score, continued two minutes later when Terry
mindlessly drove his knee into the leg of Alexis Sanchez and
concluded with Andres Iniesta dropping off the right shoulder of
Ramires — now at right back thanks to the need to switch Bosingwa
to centre-half — to collect a wonderful pass from Messi before
slipping his shot beyond the reach of Cech.
Seeing red: Chelsea were right up against it after
being reduced to ten men when captain Terry was sent off
Surely it was game over. Surely Barcelona would succeed
only in building on their lead and leave Terry to reflect on yet
more Champions League misery — a penalty for his madness to add to
the penalty he missed in Moscow.
But then came the comeback of comebacks — a defiant fight
for survival that will strike fear into whichever side they meet in
Munich on May 19.
Taking a tumble: Valdes, Drogba and Pique collide,
leaving the Barca defender out for the count
The goal from Ramires nearly counted for nothing when, two
minutes after the break, Fabregas appeared to dive after a
challenge from Didier Drogba in the penalty area and Messi was
invited by referee Cuneyt Cakir to score from the spot. But Messi
had never scored in seven previous meetings with Chelsea and that
record was extended to eight when his effort crashed off Cech’s bar
and bounced to safety.
Flashpoint: The players lost their composure briefly in
the second-half after the the Barca bench celebrate the opener
(below)
Even then, it only seemed a matter of time before
the Catalans would score again.
Sanchez had one goal ruled out for offside, while Messi
was denied by the brilliance of Cech when the Chelsea goalkeeper
diverted another shot against a post.
That Di Matteo’s makeshift side survived a further 43
minutes after Messi’s penalty miss was remarkable, but it was the
product of serious hard graft and intense concentration —
defending at its finest.
Blue is the colour! Chelsea celebrate after Torres'
late goal rounded off a memorable night for the west Londoners
In front of the defensive line stood three midfielders in
Frank Lampard, Meireles and John Mikel Obi who battled every bit as
courageously, demonstrating exactly why this Barcelona team do not
like playing against them.
That Chelsea scored a second goal was irrelevant in the
end, even if it did add to the joy for the visitors and the despair
for the hosts.
All smiles: Di Matteo celebrates the most unlikely of
victories after Torres rounded Valdes to score the second
Torres must have loved it, though, racing clear in pursuit
of a ball forward from Ivanovic before casually taking it around
Valdes and scoring into an empty net.
Pure delight: Chelsea players and staff race onto the
pitch on the full time whistle
Di Matteo had said his side would need to produce ‘two
perfect performances’ to win this semi-final, but not even he
would have envisaged this.
Take a bow, Chelsea’s Incredibles.
Roll on Munich: Chelsea will face Real Madrid or Bayern
in the final
