Manchester United return to the scene of their greatest ever European triumph hoping to rekindle the spirit of 1999. Standing between them, from pitch level, the loss of Vidic through illness has disrupted United’s preparations.
Brown losing to the Swifts. He’s only a kid, 20 years of age, not a trouble with his fitness at all. Ronaldo with a header on. The ball coming in from the left, and the first free kick of the game. That’s no surprise, goes away. United put a foul on Ronaldo.
They put a wall up, of course. It dipped, and took a deflection en route. Barcelona. Ronaldo went down, and the referee has seen a handball in there. He’s given handball. What a sensational start here at the Nou Camp.
Play the most important of the lot. Oh, misses the one, he has missed. Well, even the great players get affected by pressure. And that’s all it can be. Because this lad’s one of the most assured I’ve ever seen. They’ve just received a massive lift.
Here’s Messi, the man letting the footballers. Looked a foul, the referee allowing play to go on. That certainly was a foul by Deco. He’s going to lose it, but Tevez does what he’s doing now. Gets himself around Yaya Torre. That will allow Scholes and Kanek to deal with Deco and Xavi on an equal footing.
We don’t want Tevez to be a little lazy and leave Torre and United find themselves 3-2. And the scorer in the whole of the Champions League this season is Messi. Here’s Messi, his rival for the European Football of the Year award, Ronaldo. In this competition, they’ve come against English clubs: Chelsea and United.
The Argentine international working on the six-yard box. And he can stay there, they’ve got another corner. That’s a good ball. Messi skips around the challenge from Tevez. Deco ran out of room. Ronaldo uses his pace and power to bring United clear. That was a fantastic attribute. Deco skips around, false goal, tackle. Good ball as well from Messi, already weaving his magic.
Danger here, two back behind Deco though. It’s an awful clearance by the goalkeeper, straight to Lionel Messi. He looks for Eto’o. He tried to. Deco held his run, three or four yards, he’s sliding that in. Messi. Away. On the ground by the Frenchman to Messi. Scholes took a swing at him, which is what the crowd complained. He’s ready again, as he needs to place it to Yaya Toure. A risky challenge right on the edge of the box from Tevez. And a free kick. You don’t want to be invited.
Here’s Marquez. A clever carry. Tevez brought down. It’s a corner. The second free kick taking a deflection. Should be over the ball again here with Yaya Toure. Oh! And suddenly… There’s one over the top for Ronaldo. Easy though for Victor Audez. …by Iniesta to Abidal. Eto’o in the centre.
A blocked corner. I thought it was a corner. Safe. Messi. Ended for Eto’o.Man, the run was a good one. Goal, wasn’t it? Now Iniesta. Trying to slide it to Eto’o. Oh, was it? 9-0, Jesta tried to slide it to Eto’o and it’s still a chance. He did well then to kick out. Ronaldo, he’s done brilliantly. Messi here maybe not.
Ooh, it was a tall ball straight to Ronaldo who crashed with Marquez and was expecting a second penalty but he’s disappointed. I think he’s taken him out the centre-backs. I just think it gets some joy. Lovely skill from Lionel Messi, the crowd enjoyed that and they also enjoyed the side of the referee. 3 he wants to change the sheet in any way.
Ronaldo changed the shape of this game with the ball out to Rooney. Emeril winning it back. Scholes felling his foul. Lionel Messi looks dangerous every time he’s into so, so cheap with him and this these areas of the pitch he usually suddenly just turn it into 2 or 3 quick little passes in the 3 they haven’t been able to do that tonight against United.
Another free kick Portuguese player has won and so he’s in with no power whatsoever. Here’s Ebre Ronaldo in the centre make his way into the Barcelona penalty box. Cristiano Ronaldo, Scholes another free kick this time to United. Cristiano Ronaldo, Ebre, Scholes.
Ronaldo leaps over the tackle. Manchester United. Here’s Ronaldo, he might have to take on the entire defence here and he doesn’t get round the first man but he does get a free kick and that is a yellow card for Rafael. Ronaldo kills it goalwards again but for Manchester United all told apart from that penalty miss just come to an end now. I think we’ve handled it very well. Should you have had a second penalty? I think so, yeah but it’s life you have to go on it.
One further still to Messi, the shot deflected almost back into the path of Iniesta. Deco, Deco good play by Lionel Messi, great play and he wins optimistic shout for a penalty and then an unexpected shot coming in from Zambrotta that Van der Sar had to react to. I think Zambrotta, Zambrotta’s there’s Brown risky very risky. Eto’o and Ferdinand slips. Messi wanted it early unfortunately for United.
Eto’o did. Ronaldo passed it into Deco. Eto’o keeps possession for Barcelona and gets it back again and the one-two with Messi that’s clever. Here’s Eto’o with a chance into the side netting and that’s what I mean about when they up the tempo of the football four or five passes all played quickly. It’s a superb ball to pick him out falling backwards as he did so.
Here’s Carrick, oh clever penalty in the box well three players arguably better well a lot better place than he was cross partly goes through. Here he is again with a return ball for Lionel Messi options left and right here including Messi stole he didn’t stay that Van der Sar at the moment all the way as sloppy as that must have liked them now.
Arturo continues his run and it’s Messi in possession on to Ronaldo away from Zambrotta he’s pretty still anything on the end of it yes as Xavi shoots he did well there Van der Sar I think that’s deflected en route the area here as Xavi takes it he thought about the shot still thinking about it no real target team at the end those white shirts in the way United have dealt with that as they dealt with most things but suddenly they have a new problem to deal with as Deco fired it wide.
He just throws a leg at this that was well waved Deco. leg at this, it’s well wide, pick up, connects well enough. To Abidal, he is indeed, Lionel Messi is coming up. Might just be a precautionary.
And here goes Ronaldo, and he goes down again. And nothing did it. Deco. Changed it. Well, 9 out of 10 for artistic content. To Ronaldo. Really forward. I was just thinking, I’ve looked at his abs. But Bojan’s a threat as well, not this time. Nani coming on for Wayne Rennie.
As you watch the replay of that little ball on two. He looks up to see if there’s any support, it’s arriving just. So, as you said, they’ve got a pretty good record in England, so. Pretty formidable record here. It’s taken 83 minutes.
Back in again, Iniesta. Oh, he did well there, Van der Sar. Easy. It’s an idea to subdue their natural instincts, most of them. As Iniesta goes trying, it’s another free kick. And he takes it, and Van der Sar makes a spectacular, but I think, what I call it, routine save.
We’ll have a couple of pictures of this one. They fire one in towards Henry, and get it back from Park.
