Despite being the defending champions, despite scoring twice and despite having bulk of the possession in the second-leg of the Champions League semifinal against a 10-man Chelsea, Barcelona failed to qualify for the summit clash as Camp Nou was subjected to good fortune and a solid defence by the visitors who drew the match 2-2 after going in with a lead of 1.
Barcelona began the match on a strong note with two strikes, one each from midfielder Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in the opening half. Things looked glum for Chelsea as Gary Cahill had already injured himself after falling awkwardly and with no player around him. Things would turn from bad to ugly before doing a complete roundabout. Skipper John Terry was found guilty of using his knee against Alexis Sanchez in the 37th minute and was sent off immediately.
Into injury time however and Ramires scooped a Frank Lampard pass over Barcelona goalie Victor Valdes to bring his team back in the game and with a healthy chance of qualifying ahead, going into the break.
The second-half was all about relentless waves of Barcelona attacks which forced even striker Didier Drogba back occasionally. He even slid to knock Cesc Fabregas which resulted in a penalty only for Lionel Messi to find the bar.
From here on, fortune combined with a tentative defence, a superb Peter Cech and an injury time shock goal from substitute Fernando Torres as the Di Matteo's side ensured that their side moved ahead to either play Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the title clash.
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| Victor valdes and Drogba collides |
Barcelona began the match on a strong note with two strikes, one each from midfielder Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in the opening half. Things looked glum for Chelsea as Gary Cahill had already injured himself after falling awkwardly and with no player around him. Things would turn from bad to ugly before doing a complete roundabout. Skipper John Terry was found guilty of using his knee against Alexis Sanchez in the 37th minute and was sent off immediately.
Into injury time however and Ramires scooped a Frank Lampard pass over Barcelona goalie Victor Valdes to bring his team back in the game and with a healthy chance of qualifying ahead, going into the break.
The second-half was all about relentless waves of Barcelona attacks which forced even striker Didier Drogba back occasionally. He even slid to knock Cesc Fabregas which resulted in a penalty only for Lionel Messi to find the bar.
From here on, fortune combined with a tentative defence, a superb Peter Cech and an injury time shock goal from substitute Fernando Torres as the Di Matteo's side ensured that their side moved ahead to either play Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the title clash.
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