Published: 28 May, 2009, 04:21
Edited: 28 May, 2009, 04:21
Manchester United's hopes of winning a third Champions League trophy were shattered in Rome on Wednesday night by an in-form Barcelona. The Spanish side won 2-0 in a one-sided final.
Going into the match, Manchester United were on course to be the first club to retain the Champions League. Their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, hoped to become the second manager to win the European Cup three times, but his hopes were dashed after an exhilarating performance by Barcelona.
It was billed as the game of greats, but really it turned out to be men against boys. Barcelona turned on the style to brush aside the challenge of Manchester United and clinch their second Champions League title in four years in Rome on Wednesday.
2-0 was the final score at Rome's Stadio Olympico, but it could easily have been double that. Once Samuel Eto’o had given the Primera Liga champions the lead 10 minutes in, somewhat against the run of play, Barcelona simply didn’t let up. Their slick passing had the reigning title holders running in circles at times with the midfield duo of Anders Iniesta and Xavi in stunning form.
It was Lionel Messi who took the man of the match award when he headed in his team's second 20 minutes from time. The Argentine ended the tournament as leading scorer with 10 goals.
After the match, Alex Ferguson was forced to admit that too many of his big-name players failed to perform on the night.
Ferguson blamed “shoddy” defending for Barca’s opening goal from Samuel Eto’o in the first half. Lionel Messi added a second after the interval to end any hopes of a United recovery.
“Credit to them, the better team won,” Ferguson said. “There is a disappointment in the performance and some individuals will feel that themselves.
“We have done well to get to the final, we had to win it to change the pattern of teams defending the trophy. With the players we have we expected better, but losing the first goal was decisive and we could not recover from that,” Ferguson said.
Meanwhile, Barca's manager Pep Guardiola – no stranger to on-field heroics in his playing days – gave all the credit to the club's hard work, which has now handsomely paid off.
"What can I say? We are all very happy. I was hoping for this, but I wasn't sure. It was very hard, we missed some players but we attacked, we defended, we took corners, and in the end we won because we were the better team," said Guardiola.
“Sometimes it is bad because you do one or two mistakes and you lose the game, this is what has happened tonight. In my opinion, we didn't play fantastic. We took a goal in the first minutes and after it was very difficult, but that's football and we have to accept it," Man United star Christiano Ronaldo admitted.
So, the Old Trafford side came up just short of their quest for back-to-back Champions League crowns. Nonetheless, United supporters may be content with just domestic titles this year. The club topped the Premier League, grabbed the Carling Cup, while also adding a Club World Cup title against foreign competition late in 2008.
More jovial scenes were seen in the Catalan capital with fans celebrating their side's great success on all levels. Their second Champions League title in four years seems to be the ultimate icing on the cake for the Primera Liga and the Copa Del Rey winners.
Barcelona is now the side to beat, both domestically and internationally, after making a highly touted clash of the titans look like a mismatch.