Barcelona into Champions League final

Barcelona just reached the UEFA Champions League final, after a thrilling 1-1 draw against Chelsea in London in the semi-final second leg. They qualify on the away goals rule, after the semi-final first leg in Barcelona finished 0-0.

I saw the match live, & thought Barcelona were lucky to go through. Chelsea, coached by Guus Hiddink (until the end of this season), took the lead inside the first 10 minutes thanks to a superb rocket from Ghanaian midfielder Essien. So Barcelona were trailing 1-0 for most of the match, & there were some unsuccessful penalty claims by Chelsea as well. Barca were down to 10 men, when French defender Abidal got sent off in the second half. With the clock ticking away & Barca on the verge of elimination, deep into injury time, in the 92nd or 93rd minute, Barca midfielder Iniesta equalised with a shot from outside the box. The score was now 1-1 & it was virtually the last kick of the match. The final whistle came, & just like that, thanks to the late goal, Barcelona were through to the final. Thrilling stuff.

I wasn't exactly celebrating, to be honest. I was disappointed with Barcelona's showing - the were below their usual best & never came close to scaling the heights they attained during the weekend's 6-2 mauling of Real Madrid. The fact that Iniesta's later-than-late goal was their only shot on target said it all about Barcelona's under-par performance, & it would add more to the feeling of injustice among many Chelsea fans. Barca didn't beat Chelsea outright. But then again, u could also argue that Chelsea didn't beat Barca outright either. They were undone by the away goals rule. It would have been hearbreaking for their supporters, & I do feel sorry for them (both club & supporters). But Chelsea chose to play defensively against Barca in the first leg to get the 0-0 draw, when they perhaps should have tried to score an away goal to take home to London. And in London, after scoring, they steadily turned into a defensive mode as the match wore on & chose to hang on to a 1-0 lead. You can't blame Barca for all that, can u?? And also, Barcelona should have got a penalty in the first leg. Had the penalty been awarded & converted, Barcelona might have had a 1-0 lead to take to London, & the second-leg may have taken a different complexion.

So anyway, when all is said & done, it is the Spanish side who are now through to the final, & in doing so, they have prevented a repeat of last year's all-English final between Chelsea & Manchester United. Barcelona take on United in this year's final in Rome. This is the final that many wanted & had expected to see. It promises to be a cracker!!