Full Result Analysis Barcelona vs Manchester United Champions League Final 2011

The teams are back on the field and Barcelona are set to kick off. Barca's best chance of the second comes to Dani Alves who streaks down the right and is played in. He takes a strong shot that Van der Sar pushes wide. Messi latches on the rebound and tries to float in but is deflected away. Second goal for barca come after Messi has two steps of space an thunders a shot home to Van der Sar's near side. All too easy for the Argentine superstar. The Dutchman had no chance at stopping that one.2-1 for Barca.

That will do it, people. Right after the substitution, Villa gets a touch on the ball at the top of the box and curls it wonderfully around Van der Sar into the top corner. Too good, this team is. Too good. Barca looking very comfortable, as you do, with a 3-1 lead.The Red Devils haven't given up yet. Giggs launches a ball into Hernandez at the corner of the box. Valdes comes and punches clear.Barca Win the champions league 2011.

The Analysis :

1:37 p.m. Today’s Lineups

The only surprise in the lineups named by the two coaches is the absence of Carles Puyol, who has struggled with injuries. Javier Mascherano will start alongside Gerard Pique.
Manchester United: Edwin van der Sar; Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Fabio da Silva; Park Ji-Sung, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia; Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez.
Barcelona: Victor Valdes; Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Eric Abidal, Dani Alves; Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Xavi; Lionel Messi, Pedro, David Villa.
The referee is Viktor Kassai of Hungary. He should be quite familiar with the Barcelona players, having worked Spain’s World Cup semifinal against Germany last summer (as well as the U.S.-Ghana game that sent the Americans home) and its Euro 2012 qualifier against the Czech Republic in March.

2:12 P.M. No Berbatov Today

Those who predicted a late winner by Dimitar Berbatov won’t get it: he’s not even among Manchester United’s subs:
Kuszczak, Owen, Anderson, Smalling, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher
So 20 goals in the Premier League apparently aren’t what they used to be. Maybe Alex Ferguson just didn’t want him around; Berbatov has already lost two finals — with Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 and with United in 2009.
Barcelona’s subs:
Oier, Puyol, Keita, Adriano, Thiago, Afellay, Bojan.

Lionel Messi and David Villa scored second-half goals as Barcelona overpowered Manchester United, 3-1, on Saturday to win the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in London.

2:46 P.M. We’re Under Way

The first test is a floating cross from the left by Rooney. Valdes handles it coolly and cleanly. Barcelona pushes right back, giving Van der Sar his first touch of the ball, too.

8th Minute United Is Pushing Hard

A dangerous long ball leading Rooney is cut off by a charging Valdes, who punches it away with a dive at the top of the penalty area. He came a long way, and had to.
United looks fast, everywhere. Valencia will turn the corner on Abidal at some point; bet on it. And Chicharito wants a goal so bad you can see it. He’s challenging every ball he can reach, and testing the offside trap.
If United can get a goal, they won’t have to keep up that pace. But the one thing they most definitely do not want to do is give one up, because chasing Barcelona is no way to go.

12th Minute Barcelona Trying to Calm Things Down

United’s pressure has had the added bonus of unsettling Barcelona both in the midfield and at the back. Valdes kicking a nervous clearance right out of bounds. Trouble stringing passes together.
There’s just no room for them to work. Their reaction now seems to be to get the ball wide and create some room.

19th Minute The Early Storm Is Over

Barça appears to have gotten out its jitters. The passes are flowing now; Pedro just missed a side-footed shot from six yards; and David Villa had a rocket of a shot from the top of the box deflected wide.
Now it’s United that is in trouble. Its offense now seems to consist of winning the ball off a deflection and whaling it long for Hernandez or Rooney as quickly as possible.

21st Minute Villa Again

Villa frees himself inside the top of the 18 this time, but his right-footed shot is stabbed by a diving Van der Sar.

27th Minute GOAL — Barcelona 1-0!

Xavi draws the defense to him effortlessly, slips the ball to Pedro and he slots it easily past Van der Sar.
Just like that, Barcelona’s in control and United is in deep trouble.
 

34th Minute GOOAALL! And Rooney Gets It Right Back!!! 1-1!!

An innocuous ball won in midfield is flicked to Rooney, who dribbles, pings it back and forth with Giggs and then fires into the top left corner.
 1-1.
And the United fans have been awakened. United not touching the ball much, but Rooney’s charge made the most of it. A shift in momentum, as the Barca fans are mustering their enthusiasm again, realizing this may not be as easy as it seemed just minutes ago.
 

42nd Minute Two Near Misses

Barcelona nearly scores on a free kick, and then Messi is a step slow to a return pass in the goalmouth after another burst up the middle.
He really should have scored there, but the free kick would have been a prettier play: Xavi rolled the ball to his right to the top of the box, where it was redirected on a 45 to a slashing Busquets (?). But the second pass was a bit too far in front.
Too bad; would’ve been a training film for eternity.

 

Halftime It’s 1-1

An uneven even first half, if you know what I mean. United came out fast, put some pressure on and then couldn’t sustain. Barcelona took control, got a deserved goal, and then gave it right back on a soft one in which they allowed Rooney to dribble right in from the sideline, run a give-and-go with Giggs and fire into the top corner.

50th Minute Danger Compounded

Iniesta springs Dani Alves in the back door on the right, but Van der Sar blocks his low shot — right out to Messi. His shot never makes it through.

54th Minute Messi SCORES!!! Barcelona 2-1

Three quick touches, no one closes him down and he just pushes the ball out for a left-footed shot that curls around Van der Sar.
That’s 53 goals for him this season. Wow.

55th Minute Every Time Messi Does It, You’re Surprised

It’s never a surprise when Messi scores, but the way he can just make something out of nothing in a few quick steps is what makes him so fantastically good. Everyone knows what he can do, but when the defense doesn’t react immediately — every time — he sees it as a chance.
He’s so light on his feet, so quick into space, that sometimes it’s over before you can do anything about it. Just deadly. In many ways, there’s no one like him.

60th Minute Yellow card for Dani Alves

He slid into Evra from the side/behind as he broke into the middle. There have been worse tackles today, but Alves gets booked for this one.
First card of the game, which has been remarkably lacking in both fouls and overdramatic complaints about them.

61st Minute Yellow to Carrick

That’s two in two minutes. He definitely earned his, bashing down Iniesta.

63rd Minute The Stats Don’t Lie

Barcelona leads in shots (13-2) and possession time (67 percent). Yeah, I know. You’re all shocked.

67th Minute Teeing Off on Van der Sar

First Xavi, the Iniesta drill 18-yard shots at Van der Sar. It’s all Barcelona now.
Fabio just went off for a minute to stretch; he may be showing the strain that all the United defenders must be feeling right now. Another goal soon — and you just feel it’s coming — and you have to think this one’ll be over.

69th Minute Villa Scores!!! Barca 3-1!

Villa scores it, but again it’s mostly Messi.
And that should seal it. Ferguson slinks back in his seat.
Crowd breakdown: About 1/3 Barca, 1/3 Man United, 1/3 seem neutral. In terms of spirit? Barca, 97 percent.

70th Minute Masters at Work

Messi, once again, takes the ball on a string, carrying it into the box like he’s walking a dog. When he finally loses it, it pings off legs and is pseudo-cleared right back to Barcelona. When Villa corrals it at the top of the circle, he looks up and curls a beautiful — unsavable — shot over the outstretched left hand of Van der Sar.
After the last 20 minutes, retirement probably never looked so good to him.

77th Minute Scholes in for Carrick

Probably could have gone in for Giggs or Park, but no one’s seen either of them for half an hour.

79th Minute Yellow Card for Valencia

Let’s be honest, it’s about time.
He shoulders down Messi at midfield as Giggs — hey, look! Ryan Giggs is still in the game! — cries in vain for a handball in the box on a backtracking Villa.

85th Minute Yellow Card for Valdes

For time wasting. But can you blame him for taking a few moments to savor this?

88th Minute Puyol and Keita On; Villa and Alves Off

Dani Alves follows David Villa (for Keita) off for the final moments. Alves’s exit will allow Barcelona’s captain, Carles Puyol, to be on the field for the final whistle.

90th Minute Afellay on for Pedro

Just waiting for the whistle, or one last bit of Messi magic.

FINAL Barcelona 3, Manchester United 1

The champions of Spain are the champions of Europe.
Ferguson greets Guardiola, who won here as a player 19 years ago, with a smile on his face. He can have no complaints. The better team won today.

Messi’s goal in the 54th minute — three quick touches and a left-footed shot driven into the right corner — was his 53rd in 55 games for Barcelona this season. About 15 minutes later he dribbled down the right wing, teasing two defenders with his deft touches in close quarters, to create an opportunity for Villa. Villa’s shot, from about 20 yards, curled gently over the outstretched arms of United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
The United end of the stadium sagged, while the Barcelona supporters began a celebration that lasted long after the final whistle.
The teams had traded goals in the first half, with Pedro putting Barcelona ahead in the 27th minute after it overcame some early jitters and some heavy United pressure. But Wayne Rooney tied the game seven minutes later, driving in from the right sideline, executing a quick give-and-go with Ryan Giggs at the top of the penalty area and firing into the top left corner.
For a moment, United seemed to have grabbed a lifeline. But Barcelona soon regained control of the ball and the pace of the game. It dominated possession for long stretches, as it often does, and was soon back on the attack. When Messi and Villa scored, it had a two-goal lead that was essentially insurmountable.
The result ended the debate about which team was the best in Europe, and renewed the one about whether the current Barcelona squad is the best club team ever.
The title was Barcelona’s third in six years and its fourth over all in the competition, tying it with Ajax and Bayern Munich. Only Liverpool (five), A.C. Milan (seven) and Real Madrid (nine) have more. It also beat United in the 2009.

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