Victoria Sports Online

by Sam Power

The first leg of the UEFA Champions League delivered excitement, intrigue and mystery. The holding champions Barcelona absolutely dominated Arsenal in London but could only hold on to a two – all draw. This matchup had two of the most exciting and fluid teams locking horns, but Barcelona played the beautiful football—particularly in the first half. With reigning world player of the year Lionel Messi, Barcelona held the ball extremely well, passed the ball with purpose and precision, and hassled Arsenal’s defenders and midfielders all over the pitch.

Barcelona could have and should have been three goals up by half time, but Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovich fluffed some chances and kept the game nil-nil at the half time whistle.

Barcelona is studded with stars like Messi, Henry, Puyol, and Ibrahimovich, but the man that makes them tick is the criminally underrated Xavier Hernández. Xavi was influential in the first half as he usually is, but he also retained possession and sprayed passes all over the field—dictating the flow of the game. He really is in a league of his own and proved to be too much for Arsenal’s midfield to handle.

Barcelona decided to put their finishing boots on at half time and opened up the scoring early in the half. Zlatan Ibrahimovich spared his first half blushes with two neat finishes to put Barcelona ahead by two. These are the first two goals Ibrahimavich has scored against English opposition in the Champions League. Ibrahimavich has been labelled a big game underachiever in his career so his second half brace against Arsenal should boost his confidence in Europe.

After the early goals, Barcelona eased up on their onslaught at Emirates Stadium and this came back to haunt them. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger called upon Theo Walcott to inject life into Arsenal’s game and this did wonders. Walcott used his blinding speed and scored from his right wing to cut Barcelona’s lead.

Arsenal finally started to string passes together and looked like the fluid passing machine they usually are. They were awarded a penalty as Fabregas was impeded while shooting in the box from behind by Barcelona’s captain and best defender Puyol. Not only was Arsenal given a penalty, but Puyol was red carded meaning Barcelona would finish the game a man down. Puyol will also receive a three-match ban in Champions League for receiving a straight red card. Fabregas stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake. On his way back to the centre circle he pulled up and favoured his leg. He left the game and scans reveal that he has a broken leg and will miss the remained of the season. This is a huge blow as Fabregas is Arsenal’s creative force and inspirational leader.
The match ended two-two even though Barcelona played Arsenal off the park for most of the match. The return leg is on Tuesday, April 6th.

The quarterfinals saw last year’s runner up Manchester United fall two to one to Bayern Munich in Germany. Munich fought valiantly after United went up by a goal from Wayne Rooney only two minutes in. Munich harried and hassled United all over the pitch and stifled their creativity in the midfield.

Munich tied the game late in the second half with a deflected free kick from Frank Ribery. Man U uncharacteristically gave the ball away in the second half and displayed sloppy play from their defenders to their forwards. Not only did they surrender a last minute game winning goal, they lost their star 34-goal striker Wayne Rooney to an ankle injury. Manchester United and England fans collectively held their breath as Rooney was helped off the pitch just as Munich was celebrating their game winning, last minute goal.

Scans have revealed that Rooney suffered minor ligament damage on his ankle and a timeframe on when he will return has not yet been decided. However, he will surely miss the game on Saturday against English title rivals Chelsea, who only sits one point behind United in the English Premier League. It is not yet known if Rooney will miss out on the return leg of the quarter finals against Munich in Manchester on April 7th.

These glamorous games overshadowed two other intriguing games.

In what is the battle of France, Lyon beat Bordeaux three to one with the help of a controversial second half penalty. The return leg takes place in Bordeaux on April 7th.

Perennial Champions League underachievers Inter Milan sealed a one to nil victory over CSKA Moscow in Italy. In a tightly fought affair Milan was able to nick a goal mid way through the second half to ensure a lead going into their second leg game away in Moscow which takes place April 6th.