Ramires celebrates with Juan Mata after scoring Chelsea's first goal against Barcelona
Against impossible odds, after having their captain
sent off and from two goals down, Chelsea reached the Champions League
final – and Fernando Torres scored the goal that clinched their miracle
triumph.
Playing with 10 men for an incredible 53 minutes,
Roberto Di Matteo’s heroes somehow defied the might of Barcelona in what
must rank as one of the great English European performances.
As
John Terry was sent off for recklessly kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the
back after 37 minutes, Chelsea fell two goals behind before a quite
brilliant strike from Ramires put them back in front on away goals.
Lionel
Messi missed a penalty early in the second half and right at the death
the moment came that capped an incredible night in Catalonia.
Substitute
Torres galloped on to a ball by Branislav Ivanovic, rounded Barca
keeper Victor Valdes as the Nou Camp fell silent and stroked home the
goal that confirms his club’s place in the final in Munich on May 19.
Barcelona 2 Chelsea 2 (Chelsea win 3-2 on agg.)
It was an astonishing end to 16 months of misery for the £50SHrSmillion Spaniard, who had scored just eight goals for Chelsea.
But
it was also a night of triumph for interim manager Di Matteo. Handed
the job just over seven weeks ago after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked, he
has somehow united a fractured squad and steered them to an FA Cup
final and now a Champions League final.
Once again the ice-cool former Chelsea midfielder masterminded a superb tactical masterclass that totally outfoxed Barcelona.
Last week at Stamford Bridge he frustrated the Catalans. Last night, in the cauldron of the Nou Camp, he did even better.
Leading
1-0 from the first leg, Chelsea had withstood the expected barrage
before Sergio Busquets gave holders Barca the lead. After Terry’s red
card, Andres Iniesta hit the second in nine minutes of mayhem that
seemed to spell doom for Chelsea.
But then
Ramires struck, and the 10 somehow held on. Five times before, Chelsea
had reached this semi-final stage in the competition that Roman
Abramovich most covets – and only once triumphed.
On that occasion in 2008, further heartache awaited them in the final at the hands of Manchester United.
The
pain of being so close so many times and never succeeding is etched
into Chelsea’s DNA. But there is a dogged persistence driven into this
group of players from the days when Jose Mourinho laid down the
foundations.
So last night they were back for
what many knew would probably be their final tilt. Apart from Terry’s
moment of madness, they did not falter.
The only
blot on Di Matteo’s night is that Terry and three more will not play in
the final. The captain because of his needless red card, while Ramires,
Ivanovic and Raul Meireles will all miss out after picking up bookings.
What
sort of side Di Matteo will be able to put out against Real Madrid and
Mourinho, or Bayern Munich – who play tonight – heaven knows. But that
is for another night.
The Nou Camp was crammed with 96,000 fanatics. The vast concrete bowl boiled over with tension.
Barca
had not beaten Chelsea in six attempts over normal time and their
coach, Pep Guardiola, went for the throat from the off with only three
at the back. And inside four minutes Messi had hit the side-netting.
Chelsea
keeper Petr Cech was superb all night. He saved brilliantly with his
legs from Messi and Terry blocked Iniesta’s follow-up. The waves of red
and blue kept coming though, as Messi again struck the side-netting.
But
the thin white line cracked. A corner was only half cleared and Daniel
Alves fed Isaac Cuenca. His cross was low and deadly and Busquets
scored.
Moments later, disaster. Terry
needlessly and with unfathomable stupidity kneed Sanchez in the back on
the edge of the area in full view of referee Cuneyt Cakir. The red card
was inevitable. The task suddenly seemed impossible.
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Proof, it seemed, came just six minutes later, as Messi put Iniesta through for Barca’s second.
But,
somehow, it was not over. Frank Lampard found Ramires racing through
with a great pass and he brilliantly chipped his shot over Valdes for
the away goal Chelsea so desperately needed.
The task was now to hold on for the 45 minutes with 10 men and a makeshift defence.
The
defiance almost lasted only three minutes, as Didier Drogba’s lunge
felled former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas in the area. But Messi
incredibly blasted his penalty against the bar.
Virtually
the entire game was now being played around Chelsea’s penalty area.
Cech saved well from Cuenca – and always there was a boot or a head in
the way.
Guardiola on the touchline was growing
more and more exasperated. The goal would not come, as Cech defied Messi
and Javier Mascherano.
Suddenly, in the third minute of stoppage-time, there was Torres racing away, rounding Valdes and it was all over.
The Chelsea bench raced across the field to embrace him. Mission impossible had been accomplished.