Chelsea were magnificent. 10 men AWAY against Barcelona at 2-0 down to finish the game at 2-2...Nobody can do anything but give credit to Chelsea because it was in fact Barcelona's to lose when they were 2-0 up! Barcelona's defence seemed so wobbly, in the very rare instances Chelsea attacked, they really unsettled Valdes and the defence.
Messi looked tired and extremely quiet. His penalty miss was luck, but when probably the best player in the world cant score from a free shot at goal like that, i really started to wonder if this was going to be Chelsea's night.
Before this tie i thought Chelsea could win it and they have. They forced Barcelona out wide time and time again and stubbornly Barcelona just didn't try to change their attack. They kept trying to walk it in.
Sometimes as fantastic and as beautiful as they can be, you have to switch it up and not be one dimensional. I think a team with more width would have beaten Chelsea tonight. Barcelona looked out of ideas 15 minutes before the end against this brick wall and i really thought Chelsea could hang on then.
Tellingly they scored against the 11 men, but not the 10!
One of the best games i have seen in 20 years of watching the new format champions league, up there with the Juventus/United semi in 1999 and United's incredible away comeback. Maybe this is even better, with only 10 men on the field against Barcelona.
@buddy calm down buddy, this team smash you last year.
not a barca fan as you all know but I would prefer to see my team go all the way to the semis and lose and get kicked out of the GROUP STAGE! Then lose against bilbao to get KICKED from the Europa cup, and then to lose this past weekend.
Oh and Barca are no longer the "best team in spain" we got rid of that silly title over saturday.
Since the formation of the EPL, 8 English teams have competed in the Final of the Champions League and 4 in the UEFA Cup/Europa League.
In that same time period, Spain have had 9 teams in the Champions League final and 6 in the UEFA Cup/Europa League final. ----------------------------- ------------------------------ European Final Winners;
Since the formation of the EPL, only 2 teams have won the UEFA Champions League 3 times (Liverpool and Man United twice) and UEFA Cup/Europa League only one (Liverpool).
In that same time period, 2 Spanish teams have won the Champions League 6 times (Real 3 and Barca 3) and 3 Spanish teams have won the UEFA Cup/Europa League 4 times (Sevilla twice, Valencia and Atletico Madrid). ----------------------------- ------------------------------ Spain Vs England European Finals;
Since the formation of EPL, Spanish and English teams have faced off in 6 finals between the Champions League and UEFA Cup/Europa League. Out of these 6 finals Spain have won 5 of them. ----------------------------- ------------------------------ Semi-Finals wise for the Champions League;
Since the formation of the EPL, 20 times we've seen a English team appeared in the Semi-Finals.
In that same period, 20 times we've seen a Spanish team appeared in the Semi-Finals. ----------------------------- ------------------------------ Semi-Finals wise for the UEFA Cup/Europa League;
Since the formation of the EPL 7 times we've seen a English team appeared in the Semi-Finals.
In that same period 17 times we've seen a Spanish team appeared in the Semi-Finals.
They had a better team last year and we played Giggs in Centre midfield two. We had a lot of injuries.
Again a team that is 6th in the premier league will be in the final of the champions league!
@below
Don't know what you are going on about, you lot have not been to a Champions League final in 9 years. They might not make it this year as well.
We held the real Barca team of Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto for 3 hours without conceding a goal in 2008. Scholes taught Xavi and Ineista how to play those 2 nights. We'll be there again, no doubt!
Full of excuses, never looks at the facts. Come back when you can beat Bilbao!... oh wait, you lost twice... against a team full of homegrown players! lol
I believe Madrid tanked them 4-1, another game at next week against them. Doubt they'll play well, Copa del Rey final soon!
We'll be back next year with our captain. We were in transition this year. Every team has their down time but we'll come back stronger for it!
You talk about games that no one was interested in other than the haters. We also lost to Crystal Palace a team in a lower league than us and Wigan. So waht it happens. If you think they are better than Manchester United then you are delusional!
Spanish league is a boring two team league that no one watches, FACT! (Well we all watch the El Classico but that's it!)
Barca is still by far the best team in the world. The problem is that they actually try too hard to pretty much carry the ball into the goal. If they would have taken a few shots from distance yesterday they would have been the winner. Just a more simple football sometimes to confuse the enemy team.
Man oh man what a match, Torres had me worried he looked completely out of it when he went in. I was disappointed in terry. For a man with so much experience, to be kicked out for doing such a stupid thing.
Well now all RM have to do is win and it'll be a great final.
I was an amazing game from a man utd fan as well. It was one of the best games ive ever seen. When Chelsea went 2 0 down I though that's it it will end up being 5 0 but no 2 good goals by Chelsea they rode there luck all night but that's what you need. I still don't see them beating Madrid in the final but I see it being a very good one.
I have said for along time Messi would not cope in the epl and I think Ronaldo is the better player and apart from the 2nd goal he did not do anything tonight.
Tell that to Chelsea in 2009 when they should almost certainly have had AT LEAST 2 penalties against Barcelona in the semi final second leg at Stamford bridge and only needed to score one of them.
I would say right about now its closer to even after tonight.
Chelsea needed a little luck and they got it but you can't say they didn't deserve it. Their finishing was excellent, and they proved that its not how much you have, its what you do with it.
What a game by Chelsea!!! Way to go Torres!! I was cussing him out during the match cause he was playing like a wart. But way to finish it off! I was cheering Torres on so loud after he scored! Messi, choking? Mmmmm sweet Barca tears! lol
Calm down? It was a great game! Sorry it wasn't in your favor but you can't win it every year! Yeah we play tomorrow and I'm just as excited for that game.
Amazing game! That's the eighth English team that made it to the finals in the last 8 years. The premier league is overrated, eh? Anyways, I think what should concern Chelsea right now is the suspensions of their key players!
I stand corrected sir, 2 finalists in 2008, my bad but I guess you forgot about the 2000 final between Real and Valencia? Anything the Premier League can do, La Liga can do much better!
I don't expect Barca to completely change the way they play, a pundit during the post match analysis summed them up perfectly saying how in the last 10-15 minutes they should have changed their tactics because they were not going to get through Chelsea's parked bus with their current style.
barca dont have the player to change tactics and sticking to them has worked before.. they were unlucky with hitting the post twice.. they'll never change and dont need to.. but i'm glad their reign of terror is over for a season.
well they should at least have some players in the bench that can provide an alternate way to score a goal, at least one big ass attacker who is good in the air, like Ibrahimovic or Drogba, and someone who is really good at shooting from outside the area.
Heck, i would have actually sent Puyol a lot earlier than when he did it, its not like he wasnt already in the chelsea area, might as well had taken advantage in the air
What a win, heart was in my mouth and im not even a Chelsea fan. Delighted Barca are out. I can't stand some of their players, Busquets and Sanchez to name a couple. Teams are starting to figure them out too and they can only play one way, which doesn't always work. Im putting money on Chelsea to win the final! Well done lads, what a performance!
Wow...no one saw that one coming, it is the type of game you see in sports movies haha.It also reminded me of that semi-final Barca vs Inter 2 years ago(the team in the lead defending at all cost,one player red carded, two goals disallowed for offsides,etc)
Chelsea managed to pull one against Barca, who face their 3rd defeat in a row. Credit to them, but they won nothing yet. They will miss Terry, ramires, ivanovic, meireles for the final. Whoever they play will give em a reckoning. Should be a good final. What's funny is that Roman had no real ambitions for di Matteo. Just a makeshift manager who is somehow getting by. He could be chelseas full time manager.
Well take your pick. Avram nobody Grant and Roberto fill in Matteo guide Chelsea to European finals after so many apparent world class coaches have come, failed, and gone.
Chelsea will miss players in the final. Chances are they will get beaten, although the guys that can come in can do a job as seen on Saturday in the draw against Arsenal.
They can worry about that later though. When it comes round they will now fear nobody, and after this semi, they'll take on and play anybody.
Sometimes a semi final performance of this magnitude means you'll enter the final feeling you can beat anybody. United did it in 99, amazing comeback in the semi, mostly average in the final but it was their night, it was destiny.
On their night, Chelsea can beat anybody. We'll just wait and see if the final can be their night too.
chelsea were great but i think barca looked very tired in their last 3 games. i think all the great team work, closing down etc has finally caught up with them. but chelsea deserve it for defending like they did and coming back from 2 down and 10 men against barca at the camp nou is amazing. hopefully they will have luiz and cahill available for the final, this 2 yellows and you miss the final is ridiculous.
wasnt really a draw cause overall it was 3-2 cause chelsea scored in the 1st leg n even if they didnt get dat goal in 1st leg they stil would have gon through cause of away goal
What a bloody good god darn game that was! Gary nevilles orgasm when torres scored :D
I hope Chelsea win and I don't hope they win... Why? Because if they do win that means Newcastle will have to forfeit they're hard earned champions league spot to Chelsea... that's unfair. But I also hope they win because they are representing BPL!! :D
First of all, Congrats to chelsea. But what Terry did, which nobody mentions here ideally, pissed me off BIG TIME. What a piece of turd that man is, and then Drogba throwing himself all over the pitch the match before this one. Shameful!
As for Barca, couldn't be more disappointed with our defense , and where the hell was Messi?? Ugh, our reign is over, for now...time to work our way up again.
Ok, I hate Chelsea as much as anyone but Terry's foul was not that bad. I've seen a lot more only get a yellow, it should have been a yellow card if that. As much as I agree that Drogba goes down easy, Fab totally dragged his back foot for that PK that Messi ended up missing. Barca should have really never let the match come to this score as they had many chances to end the tie but both their defense and offense were very disappointing.
It was totally uncalled for, which is why it pissed me off, it's unprofessional and low. Funny how I've always tried to like Chelsea especially when they played against MANu, now, screw it, hope they stay in 6th place for years to come.
no barca player or fan can complain about diving an feighning injury your team has some of the biggest play actors in the game.. though i didnt like seeing drogba doing it it was nice to see barca get a taste of their own medicine for a change.
john terry is a complete idiot though.. its like he tries his hardest not to win the champs league and he nearly cost his team again.. he deserves not to be in the final
i totally expected Torres to be Chelsea´s downfall. It didnt looked like he got in the game, he wasnt defending properly, most of the time he was almost walking... i honestly think that if Di Mateo had made that change earlier Barca would have made the 3rd goal from the right lane.
Thankfully that didnt happen and Torres actually got the chance to finish the game, which is kind of ironic because if you think about it, the ball got to torres because he didnt came back to defend after losing the ball
what a huge upset, congrats Chelsea! I'm an Arsenal fan, but it's nice to see an English team, and more specifically a club from London in the Champions league finals. Great goal by Torres as well!
Amazing game, i got to admit i was laughing at Barcelona every time Chelsea cleared the ball across the field " kind of like saying get that sh!t out of here. again amazing amazing game on Chelseas part.
great tactics by chelsea. they absorbed everything barca threw at them. they frustrated barca and messi chocked. chelsea had like 4 shot on target, scoring 3 of them. they knew chances wouldn't be in abundance so they made the best of the little they had. the first goal was just class <ramirez> and the second was the killer blow <torres>
barca played their usual 1000 pass game. it didn't work. whats worse is barca had no "Plan B" whatsoever. i mean try something different. hit long shots, it could deflect and go in. just change play for 5 mins. but no, Plan B is non-existent.
at least Barca and their boring football is out of the competition. this makes sure the final will be open and entertaining whether its Real or Bayern.
that higuans disallowed goal in the video makes me want to cry..i remember that day, it was very painful BUT am happy now barca are out of the champions league!!!!!!!!!!thank you chelsea even though i dont support chelsea
@ben dover
maybe before laying down such a statement claiming i know nothing about football you should read my previous comments regarding barcas football and see what an idiot you look like.
@Baka-akaB
whose living via other teams? i wasnt aware i was only allowed to support one club in the entire world. maybe you do but the rest of us enjoy soccer from around the globe and probably support more than one club from different leagues.
Well done Chelsea. If they go all the way and win it won't they be the first London club to win it?
EDIT -
Video missing Torres goal.
Torres would be the one to score ;)
Man oh man what a match, Torres had me worried he looked completely out of it when he went in. I was disappointed in terry. For a man with so much experience, to be kicked out for doing such a stupid thing.
Well now all RM have to do is win and it'll be a great final.
Very good match, but yet again lucky for chelsea, like benfica.
A shot at the bar, another shot at the post. 50% of the times chelsea shot, its a goal.
Although their strategy is very good.
What a game by Chelsea!!! Way to go Torres!! I was cussing him out during the match cause he was playing like a wart. But way to finish it off! I was cheering Torres on so loud after he scored! Messi, choking? Mmmmm sweet Barca tears! lol