Paris awaits a magnificent Barça (0-0)

Barça has more than deservedly qualified for the Champions League final. Frank Rijkaard's side finished off the job they had so impressively started at the San Siro eight days earlier. We are on the way to Paris!


In an unforgettable night at the Nou Camp, FC Barcelona qualified for the Champions League final for the first time since 1994. That year, AC Milan were triumphant, but twelve years later, and Barça got their revenge, putting the Italian giants out of the competition to set up what promises to be a spectacular final on May 17 in Paris against English side Arsenal. And following their spectacular season, surely nobody can begrudge Barcelona's presence in the showpiece game of European football.

Going for goal

It was an uncharacteristic Barça performance, with Frank Rijkaard's side spending much of the game in their own half, and allowing Milan to enjoy most of the possession, but following Barça's 1-0 win in the first leg, it was always going to be Milan who were going to have to do the hard work, and the home side managed to contain that pressure to perfection. It was a bright start from Barça, with the usual Ronaldinho and Iniesta trickery, and the first chance falling to Samuel Eto'o, who got past Kaladze only to see his shot from inside the area blocked by Milan keeper Dida, the first of many impressive interventions by the Brazilian stopper. On the quarter hour, Eto'o had a second chance to score, but his low struck shot hit Didas leg and Costacurta was able to clear the ball off the line.

End to end football

But although the constant switching of positions in the Barça frontline was making life difficult for the Milan defence, the visitors, with Shevchenko and Inzaghi leading the attack, always looked dangerous on the counter attack. In one of these, Shevchenko had a clear chance to score, but his effort struck the side netting. Milan were gaining in confidence, with several crosses being sent into the Barça area, but these were rarely threatening.
Barça, on the other hand, looked far more composed going forward, and Eto'o was through on goal in the last minute of the half, but a clattering last-man tackle by Costacurta was punished with a yellow when there were calls in some quarters for a red.

Keeping it solid

Milan could have scored early in the second half when Shevchenko failed to head home a Seedorf cross, but Barça came even closer shortly after when Giuly sent the ball across the face of the Milan goal, but Belletti failed to connect. Minutes later and it was Giuly himself who failed to score from an almost identical left footed volley to the one that he had scored in the first leg. When he was replaced by Larsson, the Frenchman was rewarded with a standing ovation in recognition of that historic goal at the San Siro.

Time was ticking away, and although the score was still favourable to Barças interests, impatience set into the crowd as Milan continued to enjoy far more position than visitors to the Nou Camp are normally allowed. And the shock of the night came when Shevchenko struck home a Kaka to score for Milan, only for the goal to be ruled out by referee Markus Merk for an earlier infringement.

Ten minutes on the field, and Larsson got the opportunity to do what he does best, delivering a diving header unfortunately straight into the body of a brilliant Dida. Within a minute and it was Deco who could have scored, but he dallied too long, and Dida was well positioned to intercept.

The hour of truth

As the game drew to an end, Milan were clearly frustrated by their imminent elimination from the tournament and the quality of their football suffered as a result. Meanwhile, Barcelona were quite happy just to let the minutes pass by and the final whistle was met with both euphoria and relief. It had been a spectacular game off football, and although it ended goalless, that didn't matter to the 98,000 fans inside the stadium and thousands more watching on TV. FC Barcelona are into the Champions League Final. Werder Bremen, Udinese, Panathinaikos, Chelsea, Benfica and Milan have already succumbed to this magnificent Barça side. Now only Arsenal stand between them and their second European crown!