
There was no shortage of drama at the Nou Camp on Tuesday... and that could be an understatement.In a game that saw Lionel Messi miss a penalty and Fernando Torres score a goal, little was predictable from kick-off to final whistle.
Despite going down to 10 men early on, Chelsea secured a place in the Champions League final with a 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the second leg, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
"We've done it. We scored an away goal and I think that was the key," goalkeeper Petr Cech told Sky Sports.
"What can I say. We scored goals and fought for 90 minutes. We were down to 10 men and down 2-1, but I think it's fantastic what we've done."
It was a great night but not easy for Chelsea who defended for their lives for much of the game.
As expected Barcelona came out of the blocks firing and were a goal ahead after 35 minutes when Isaac Cuenca played in Sergio Busquets.
What wasn't expected were the foolish antics of Chelsea's experienced captain John Terry a minute later.
Chelsea went down to 10 men after Terry was dismissed for kneeing Alexis Sanchez off the ball. It was an incident missed by many in the stadium including the referee but caught by one of the officials.
Struggling with a man down, things went from bad to worse for Chelsea when Barca ripped through the Blues defence. Lionel Messi set up Andres Iniesta to slip his shot past the hopelessly exposed Petr Cech.
But Ramires surprised the fans inside the Nou Camp when he conjured up a goal for the Blues out of nothing shortly afterwards.
The Brazilian put his side back in the tie when he ran on to a Frank Lampard pass before deftly lifting the ball over Victor Valdes.
A dramatic first half was followed by an equally surprising second one.
Without their most experienced defender, Chelsea fought bravely for 45 minutes against the reigning champions.
They also survived a Barcelona penalty. And not many people would have expected the world's greatest footballer to miss.
After Didier Drogba lunged at Cesc Fabregas inside the box, Lionel Messi smashed the crossbar from the spot handing the initiative back to the visitors.
A night when Messi misses a penalty was surely a night when anything could happen.
And so it proved when the ball was delivered to the feet of Fernando Torres.
The player - who has struggled to find his form in a Chelsea shirt - rounded the keeper to round off a remarkable evening for his team.
An unpredictable night left Chelsea victorious and Barcelona stunned after their third consecutive defeat.
Roberto Di Matteo's men will now face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final.
However, it will be a tough ask for Chelsea to repeat such heroics as they will be missing Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Ramires through suspension.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Other articles in Sports
Brilliant Nadal wins Indian Wells 18 March 2013
Raikkonen wins Melbourne thriller 17 March 2013
Bobs Worth wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup 16 March 2013
It's Beckham v Messi in Champions League 15 March 2013
Malaga and Bayern through to quarter-finals 14 March 2013
Women's tennis courts age over youth 14 March 2013
Wrestling makes inaugural European Games 13 March 2013
Reading sack manager Brian McDermott 12 March 2013
Bundesliga win puts Schalke in the mood 11 March 2013
Nadal triumphant on hard-court return 10 March 2013
Live_Blog
Live Blog: Turkey Protests
Protests at Taksim Square in Istanbul started after trees were torn up to make way for the redevelopment of Gezi Park. ( 16-Jun-2013 )
Featured_Author
Opinion
|
Walker Tells the Truth, the ADL Avoids It |
| William A. Cook | |
|
War by Other Name in Syria |
| Franklin Lamb | |
|
Looking For 'A New Devil’ |
| Nima Shirazi | |
|
Murder Made Sexy |
| William T. Hathaway | |
|
Motives Aside, the NSA Should Not Spy on Us |
| Sheldon Richman | |
|
Perspectives on the Surveillance Scandal |
| Lawrence Davidson | |
|
Syria and Iran: In America's Crosshairs |
| Stephen Lendman | |
|
The NSA Scandal and Syrian Intervention |
| Jacob Hornberger | |
|
Exposing the Real Ralph Nader |
| Rosemarie Jackowski | |
|
From Gaza to the USA- Culture shock |
| Fidaa Abu Assi | |
|
Ethics and Politics |
| Richard Falk | |
|
A Very Strange Reality |
| Archie Kennedy | |
|
Your ever- vigilant friends at the NSA |
| Will Durst | |
|
Triumph and Tragedy |
| Uri Avnery | |













