UEFA Champions League 2009 Winner Is... Barcelona!!!

Barcelona beats Man United 2-0 in final

ROME (AP) - A rare headed goal by Lionel Messi (indeed a very rare header by probably the shortest player on field - even one of the tallest goalkeeper cant touch the ball! What a GOAL!!!) helped Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final on Wednesday, giving the Spanish side its third European Cup title and third trophy in a magical season.

Samuel Eto'o put the Spanish champions ahead in the 10th minute and Messi's 70th-minute goal - his ninth in the Champions League this season - sealed the victory over the defending champions at the Stadio Olimpico.

The triumph completed a sweep of titles for 38-year-old Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola in his first season, after wins in the Spanish league and cup. The former Barcelona star, who started as a ball boy at Camp Nou, now joins the ranks of those who have won the title both as a player and a coach.

Guardiola became the youngest coach to win European soccer's top club competition since the European Cup became the Champions League in 1993. Barcelona also won the trophy in 1992 and 2006.

"No team has ever done the treble in Spain, and we'll be remembered as the first team to do it," Barcelona striker Thierry Henry said. "That's amazing." (For record, Barcelona won the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey), then the Spanish League, and now the Champions League in 2009! Undisputedly The Team of the Year - Barcelona)

United had been chasing its fourth European Cup title, and fourth trophy this season after winning the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and League Cup.

But United was thoroughly outplayed by the Spanish side as Messi scored his 38th goal of an amazing year for Barcelona, which has 53 league and cup goals this season. (FIFA World Player of the Year 2009 - Lionel MESSI)

Xavi floated a diagonal ball into the United area to find Messi unmarked, and the 5-fooot-7 (1.69 m) Argentina striker - renowned for his deft dribbling and shooting - used his head to loop the ball over United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar and into the net.

Messi set off colorful celebrations at one end of the stadium, filled with 62,467 fans, and left English fans in silence.

The loss left Man United manager Alex Ferguson at 25 titles in 23 seasons. He failed to match Liverpool's Bob Paisley's three titles in the competition.

"We started the game brightly. We were confident and we could have been in front," Ferguson said. "We had the ball but didn't use it very well. ... We defended fantastically all season but they were two shoddy goals.

"We didn't play as well as we can, but they are a good team. We have to give them credit. Xavi (Hernandez) and (Andres) Iniesta can keep the ball all night. They made it very difficult."

South Korean winger Park Ji-sung became the first Asian to play in a Champions League final. He almost scored for United in the opening minute but his shot was deflected wide after Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick had been blocked by the goalkeeper. It was the nearest United came to scoring all night.

The victory also marked the first Champions League title for Henry, the French striker who was on the losing side when Arsenal lost to Barcelona in 2006.

"Finally, I've been waiting for so long to get this title and now finally today," said Henry, who had been doubtful for the final because of a knee injury. "The last five minutes were the longest of my life."

United almost went ahead in the opening minute when a needless foul by Yaya Toure on Anderson handed Ronaldo an early free kick. His powerful drive was blocked by the hands of goalkeeper Victor Valdes and Park's rebound was deflected for a corner by Gerard Pique.

With Barcelona's dangerous forwards barely getting a touch of the ball in the early stages, there was little danger at the other end until the Spanish champions went ahead with their first attack of the game.

Iniesta started the move with a break through midfield and found Eto'o on the right. The striker cut inside a weak tackle by Nemanja Vidic and poked a low angled shot past Van de Sar.

The goal changed the pattern of the play with Barcelona's stars settling into their confident style of interpassing. United, now chasing the game, was unable to create any real danger. Ronaldo wanted to shoot at every opportunity, but fired wide and headed over.

Seeing his title slipping away, Ferguson reshaped his attack for the second half.

The 67-year-old Scot took off midfielder Anderson and sent on Carlos Tevez, the Argentina striker who is convinced he's leaving the club because United won't turn his loan deal into a full term transfer.

That left United undermanned in midfield and Barcelona continued to create openings.

Ferguson made another change when he took off Park and sent on Dimitar Berbatov.

Barcelona could have added more but Van der Sar saved twice from Carles Puyol and Ronaldo was shown the yellow card for some petulant late challenges on the Barcelona captain.

Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/5/28/sports/20090528063317&sec=sports

Barcelona vs Man U - A Dream Final

What a match! Finally, Barca breaks the duck! Unbelievable! Relieved! These are some of the reactions following the match between Barca and Chelsea. This is not the best game for Barca but overall they played well, never give up and in the end, its an exciting football game. You certainly have to give credit to the way Chelsea defended. Both goals in the game are just beautiful. Will Messi proves he's the best footballer in the world in Rome? Lets wait and see...

Barcelona is going to meet Man U in the final in Rome on 27 May 2009. Make sure you are there to witness probably one of the best games in Champions League history!!

My prediction stays the same - The winner between Barca vs Chelsea is going to lift the Champions League 2009 title!

Barcelona 3 - Man U 2

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Barcelona-Man United is dream final for strikers

LONDON (AP): Barcelona is out to do much more than just take the Champions League title away from Manchester United when they meet in the final in Rome.

Pep Guardiola's team wants to prove itself the best and most entertaining side in the world.

After United knocked out Arsenal on Tuesday and Barcelona eliminated Chelsea on Wednesday, the two European powerhouses will square off on May 27 in the matchup fans across the continent have looked forward to all season.

While United is trying to hold on to the title it won in Moscow last year, Barcelona is chasing its third title and hoping to end the English Premier League's recent dominance in European football's most prestigious competition.

Both teams also look set to win their domestic leagues, with United three points ahead in the Premier League with a game in hand, and Barcelona seven in front in La Liga.

But the statistics aren't the most important thing in this final.

It is a meeting of perhaps the two most entertaining sides in Europe, both of them with big-name forwards who enjoy taking opponents apart with their imaginative interpassing.

"It's great to be playing against such a top side as Manchester United," Guardiola said after a dramatic 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge put his team through on away goals.

Andres Iniesta equalized in the third minute of injury time after Michael Essien's ninth-minute strike threatened to put Chelsea through.

United manager Alex Ferguson has to decide which of his three main strikers - Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez - to leave on the bench, with Cristiano Ronaldo also attacking from the wings.

Guardiola usually sends his trio of strikers - Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o - out together, and they have rewarded him with a combined 69 league goals out of a total of 100.

That century was reached on Saturday with a spectacular 6-2 victory at Real Madrid, Barcelona's main rival.

The likelihood of all these attacking stars playing at Rome's Olympic Stadium suggests the game could be one of the best in the 53-year history of the competition.

Behind these forwards are some of the best midfielders, too.

United will be able to field veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, while Barca has Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, two of the stars of Spain's impressive triumph at last year's European Championship.

Barcelona reached its sixth final despite the absence of three defenders on Wednesday through injury or suspension. Defender Eric Abidal was sent off against Chelsea on Wednesday and will be suspended for the final as will Daniel Alves, who picked up a second yellow card in the competition. But Guardiola will have Carles Puyol back after serving a ban.

United meanwhile, has set some impressive defensive records this season. United's center back pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic made huge contributions to goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar going a British record 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal in the league.

Giggs gets the chance to be on the winning side for the third time, having also played in the 1999 and 2008 finals. Scholes was suspended for the '99 victory over Bayern Munich in Barcelona but played in last year's win over Chelsea.

"It's not a nice feeling when you have to sit there and watch the final. Obviously if you're team is in the final, you want to be involved," said Scholes, who has just gone past 600 appearances for the Reds. "It's the biggest game of your life, the European Cup final, everyone wants to be playing and it's desperately disappointing if you can't be."

United midfielder Darren Fletcher will get that experience this time, after being harshly sent off for bringing down Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas in the quarterfinal second leg with his team already coasting at 3-0 up.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/5/7/sports/20090507091420&sec=sports