BinayWorld

El Barca.. kings of Europe..!!

Soccer never ceases to suprise and that's why it's 'the beautiful game'.

Well, last night in Paris added to the legend of the biggest stage of them all at club level, the UEFA Champions League.

After the classic in Istanbul last year, many expected an encore this time, with Henry and Ronaldinho vying for the big prize. It didn't exactly turn out that way, though. Still, this one had its moments.

Reduced to 10 men, midway through the first half, after Jens lehmann brought down a rampaging Eto'o, Arsenal showed a lot of grit and guts. And suprise, surprise, they took the lead, thanks to a Sol Campbell header.

So it was now for Barcelona to do all the chasing and take the game to the gunners. And they did so, dominating possession and trying to make their one-man advantage count.Finally, the gunners' wall cracked, with that deadly finisher, Samuel Eto'o equalising for Barca with 14 minutes left on the clock.

Wenger's men were crestfallen. Barca had tasted blood and now, it's time to go for the kill and they delivered the final blow, when the Brazilian winger Beletti wrote himself into Barca's history books with a thumping finish, 9 minutes from time.

The tide had turned and Arsenal didn't simply have enough in the tank now to make that one final attempt.

So it was Carlos Puyol and company who went on stage to get their hands on that glittering trophy, the ultimate prize in club football.

The pride of Catalonia are now the champions of Europe..!!

posted by Binay @ 10:15 PM