“It is a disgrace,” exclaimed Chelsea striker Didier Drogba as he stormed off the field after Barcelona reached the Champions League final with a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had three legitimate penalty calls denied as Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo took charge of his first Champions League semifinal. And while Barcelona played a third of the game down a man after Eric Abidal was sent off, this game will be remembered for how an inexperienced referee can literally decide the outcome of the game.
After a scoreless draw in Barcelona last Tuesday in which Chelsea was given credit for their resolute defending, the second leg was delicately balanced to be a dynamite match.
Chelsea’s Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien opened the scoring in the ninth minute with an unbelievable volley that struck the crossbar and bounced in.
But Barcelona knew that they didn’t need to win the game to make it to the final. A draw would now suffice.
Barcelona’s chances were few and far between. And goalkeeper Victor Valdes turned in a heroic performance as he turned away Chelsea’s attacks.
Didier Drogba had a terrific match, terrorizing Barcelona’s two stand-in central defenders. He was brought down by Eric Abidal in the box and a penalty should’ve been awarded. But Ovrebo turned a blind eye. This after failing to see a handball off a Florent Malouda shot earlier.
In the 93rd minute of play, Andres Iniesta fired home a blast from the top of the 18-yard box to square the match.
But more controversy would follow as Chelsea’s Michael Ballack fired a rebound, which deflected off a Barcelona arm. Ballack was furious as he screamed at Ovrebo, flailing his arms madly.
The Blues had three legitimate penalty calls denied as Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo took charge of his first Champions League semifinal. And while Barcelona played a third of the game down a man after Eric Abidal was sent off, this game will be remembered for how an inexperienced referee can literally decide the outcome of the game.
After a scoreless draw in Barcelona last Tuesday in which Chelsea was given credit for their resolute defending, the second leg was delicately balanced to be a dynamite match.
Chelsea’s Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien opened the scoring in the ninth minute with an unbelievable volley that struck the crossbar and bounced in.
But Barcelona knew that they didn’t need to win the game to make it to the final. A draw would now suffice.
Barcelona’s chances were few and far between. And goalkeeper Victor Valdes turned in a heroic performance as he turned away Chelsea’s attacks.
Didier Drogba had a terrific match, terrorizing Barcelona’s two stand-in central defenders. He was brought down by Eric Abidal in the box and a penalty should’ve been awarded. But Ovrebo turned a blind eye. This after failing to see a handball off a Florent Malouda shot earlier.
In the 93rd minute of play, Andres Iniesta fired home a blast from the top of the 18-yard box to square the match.
But more controversy would follow as Chelsea’s Michael Ballack fired a rebound, which deflected off a Barcelona arm. Ballack was furious as he screamed at Ovrebo, flailing his arms madly.
Barcelona advance in amid very unsavoury scenes at Stamford Bridge as Ovrebo, a 42-year-old psychologist by day, faced waves of abuse.
“I can fully understand my players’ emotions with loads of adrenaline in their bodies,” said Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.
“We were so disappointed…Three other situations where it [call for penalty] is so clear. It is an injustice.
“I won’t tell you what we really feel.”
Manchester United Finishes Arsenal Job
On Tuesday, Manchester United left no doubt in Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s mind as to which team is superior.
On a night where Wenger was hoping for a major triumph to justify his master plan, Cristiano Ronaldo and company were just too good for a young, inexperienced Gunners team.
Arsenal knew they had to play the perfect game to overcome a deficit that was fortunately only one goal after a dismal performance at Old Trafford last Wednesday. But instead young defender Kieran Gibbs’s slip allowed Ji-Sung Park to score United’s first goal.
Then Ronaldo fired in a long free-kick to make it two. The game was essentially over at this point and it was arguably over after Park’s goal.
But just to show how good they are, United put together a counter-attacking move that should be shown in training videos going forward. Ronaldo scored United’s third goal after an awesome transition attack with Wayne Rooney and Park assisting.
The Gunners got one back on a Robin van Persie penalty kick but it was too little too late. The bad news for United is that Darren Fletcher will miss the Champions League final due to the red card he received for a tackle on Cesc Fabregas that led to the penalty kick.
Nevertheless, Manchester United deservedly progressed and the final in Rome in three weeks time will feature Europe’s two best teams—Barcelona and Manchester United.
