DieHardX's Territory

FC BARCELONA ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

THE SHORT PRODIGY 1-0 THE CRYBABY DIVER!
(A header mind you!)

FC BARCELONA 2-0 MANCHESTER UNITED!

Goal No.1 (Eto'o's goal)

Goal No.2 (The MESSIah's goal)

Well, free flow, slick passing and sleek football wins in the end.

Barcelona deserve the win for the impressive overall performance of the night. Pique, Sylvinho, Puyol must be applauded for their extremely good work in defence to frustrate The Devils' offence. Pique and Sylvinho especially had time and again for the entire match made critical defensive moves to intercept the attack. Toure Yaya was their weakest link in defence for the entire match. Xavi and Iniesta have to be given credit for their superior ball possession, control and instinct to detect play at will as well as of course were responsible for the two goals scored by Eto'o and Messi. They were the directors of the whole show, pulling the strings from the middle to control the tempo/rhythm of play.

I think Sir Alex Ferguson killed his own team's chances when he took off Giggs and Park when Iniesta and Xavi were already commanding so much control in the middle. By bringing in Tevez and Berbatov, he actually was playing a dangerous 4-2-4 formation. I really won't bring in Paul Scholes and would have stayed with Giggs or Park. This dismantling of the midfield when it was already losing enough possessions in the hope that a goal or two will come by pushing in too many forwards was very risky indeed. It is also interesting to note that when all talks before the match were about the Barcelona's weak defence, it turned out so differently in the match where I would rate United's defence to be slightly more shaky and nervous. It is also a big factor in causing their defeat.

Finally, the Short Prodigy showed his ability when it matters most, surpassing the always-lost-in-big-matches Crybaby Diver who got a few offside calls at best, entangled in some rough situations with Puyol as well as losing his cool once a while. Fatboy Rooney too at best was there with a few offside calls. Both disappeared after Barcelona's first goal. Messi scored a header in the 70th minute! Incredible for a short player in front of the tall United defence! While Eto'o scored early in the 10th minute after a great move on the right and cutting into the penalty box all by himself.

It is definitely a great final with nice displays of beautiful football. Thanks to both FC Barcelona and Manchester United for not killing the game! I heard last year's finals was so boring that people thought it was an ordinary League Cup match.

Match Stats
	Barcelona	Manchester United
Shots (on Goal)	12(7)	11(2)
Fouls	7	10
Corner Kicks	4	7
Offsides	1	5
Time of Possession	53%	47%
Yellow Cards	1	3
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	2	5