Barcelona vs. Manchester United Live!
It's Barca vs. United live from the Camp Nou on ESPN2. What - do you need a gilt-edged invitation?
Join me for all the action this afternoon.
posted by gatorbob @ 2:35 PM
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It's Barca vs. United live from the Camp Nou on ESPN2. What - do you need a gilt-edged invitation?
Join me for all the action this afternoon.
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
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139 Comments:
Here are the sides for today's clash:
Barcelona: Valdes, Zambrotta, Marquez, Milito, Abidal, Xavi, Toure Yaya, Deco, Messi, Eto'o, Iniesta
Subs: Pinto, Gudjohnsen, Henry, Sylvinho, Giovanni, Thuram, Bojan
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Park, Rooney, Tevez
Subs: Kuszczak, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Pique, O'Shea, Silvestre
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic is absent for his side's Champions League semi-final first leg clash with Barcelona after being rushed to hospital last night.
Unbelievably, Frank Rikjaard has left TH-14 on the bench, while Deco returns to the side. It's Eto'o alongside Iniesta up front for Barca.
The commentators are reminding us that it's St. George's Day, perhaps a good omen for an English side?
Ronaldo has an early crack from a long range free kick and it goes out for a corner.
Real drama here. From the resulting corner Melitto handballs in the area and it's a penalty!
Ronaldo to take....
and OHHHHHHH and he misses!
Incredible. Everything that he's done recently has gone in but there must have been tremendous pressure so early in the match.
What a start to this match! What effect will that miss have on United?
It has to be said that United have had the better start. There are big question marks on Messi and Deco's fitness.
First corner for Barca....
and another...
Short this time and Messi made his way to the bye-line and pulled back a wicked ball.
It's been noticeable that both Ron and Roon have been dropping very deep into midfield to pick up the ball and are back defending at every opportunity.
Messi is torturing the full-backs here. This time he popped up on the left and showed Hargreaves a clean pair of heels but he hasn't picked out the right final ball yet.
United really need to get Tevez more involved in the match. He's been a lone figure up front.
Tevez brings down Yaya Toure at the edge of the box. Now, who will take this in the absence to Ronaldinho?
It looks like Xavi Alonso...no Marquez...
Straight into the wall.
Hey Bob, I am home.
WHAT A BUMMER!!!
I was driving home listening to ESPN Radio and they mentioned about someone scored in a big international soccer match and then said something tongue in cheek.
I had to call Kath to see what happened!!
Has it been on Barca?
The possession has certainly swung over in Barca's favor in the past ten minutes.
Stop giving the ball away United
Well, you lot had a penalty in the second minute but Ronaldo missed for once! A bad miss - you'll see it at half time, no doubt.
Since then it's been all Barca.
I just looked back at it!!
Scholes keeps giving the ball away
Did you see this funny joke on the Beeb?
"John Arne Riise has just been arrested on the M62. Apparently he was heading in the wrong direction."
UNITED CAN'T CLEAR IT!!
COME ON!!
Another Barca move ends with a rubbish effort from Iniesta.
Nice joke about Riise. Did you watch that match? I only just saw the clip - a cracking header!
I saw the second half.
Boy, I don't want Chelsea to win anything!!
Of course, I don't want Costa to win either
Rooney was the one that cleared that last attack inside the 6 yard box
Why did he go down
Rooney's been in your half defending for most of the half.
Oooh, that could easily have been another penalty for Ronaldo!
He could have gotten a toe on that!!
I totally disagree with Tommy Smyth there. Marquez made absolutely no attempt to play the ball there. He just shouldered Ron off it. It was obstruction at the very least - perhaps an indirect free kick in the box.
Nice move ends with Roon crossing long to Park, who was under a lot of pressure.
Scholes has bundled Deco over there. Dangerous position for a free kick here.
Another free kick chance for Barca
Another horrible tackle by Scholsey
Barca have really missed the Pie Man on these free kicks.
2014: Andres Iniesta passes the ball across defence - straight to Cristiano Ronaldo. He is barged into by Rafael Marquez as he bursts into the box - but the ref isn't interested in giving a second penalty. Alan Green and Chris Waddle on 5 Live say it's a definite pen, a quick straw poll in this office is 100% no pen.
Nice elbow there from Carlito against Zambrotta. He learned that move on the streets of River Plate, no doubt.
Boy, United are just letting them slice through them.
The referee's probably a bit shy about giving United another pen after the first one.
I just know why he went down. He could have gotten a shot off
United have had no possession.
They just keep giving the ball away and having Barca attack them again.
Just like that throw in. Just throw it straight to them!!!
That was never a foul on Scholes
I don't know why Scholesy's diving in again and again. He's going to go into the book soon.
Tommy Smyth doesn't think anything's a foul.
Is Roon playing left wing?
United don't know where each other are!
We need a goal tonight
When all is said and done, a 0-0 scoreline ain't half bad.
I don't know where Roon is playing.
Atrocious free kick by Ron.
I hate to say, when United play like this they don't often improve in the second half
No, an away goal is needed.
Only if Barca were to score. 0-0 is good enough.
Free kick chance for United
About time that Marquez picked up a yellow. He's a hatchet man.
Barca could score
Useless Ron
Unusually conventional free kick from Ron there. I would've fancied Hargreaves from that angle.
Half time... under 45 minutes!!
I am off to the loo
Half time - 0-0
Only disappointing for United fans because of that early penalty miss. As long as they can keep Barca out - and they've had few clear chances - they'll be alright.
Who the hell are these geezers? I only recognize Seamus Malin.
These guys were on yesterday as well
I would bring on Anderson for Scholes
Here they come
Looks like no changes
United having no possession again
That was a bit dicey. You really need to put two men on Messi. He's the dangerman.
Thank God Barca haven't got their shooting boots on so far
Long may it continue
Do we get the big match on Saturday or is it the early Setanta match?
2045: Away we go in the second half. Here's Fergie's thoughts... "I think we've done quite well defensively and towards the end of the half we started to play much better going forward. I'm pleased. The longer the game goes, we've got a better chance. I think we should have had a second penalty but that's the way it goes."
We don't get it
Roon appears to be wandering about like a little lost boy. Do you think he's injured?
HOPELESS DEFENDING FROM UNITED!!!!
Shame.
Ooh, Eto'o could've have easily gone down there and asked the ref some questions but he was honest.
Etu could have gone down for the pen there.
Good on him for staying up
Bloody hell... side netting
Oooh, that was close. Eto'o should've shot across VDS instead of trying to beat him at the near post. Rio did a nice job putting him off.
oooh, almost from Carrick
A corner for United. A little relief from the pressure. Why is Rooney taking the bloody corner?
Oh, Carrick could've done better there from the corner. Shoot across the box!
Hargreaves looks icy cool at this level - probably the only United player that doesn't look intimidated by the big stage. Where has Tevez been all night!?
It's got to be almost time for a change. Nani perhaps?
I want Anderson on
Carelessness again
Rooney - United's most expensive right back!
Anderson would be a good change.
Good save, VDS!
That was close. VDS almost spilled it
Where's Saha?
Where do you think? He's injured
Dangerous free kick here for Barca...
And you'll be happy to see the back of Lionel Messi. He's been terrific. Here comes the teenage wonderboy Krkc, who's obviously not a fan of vowels.
Xavi with another rubbish free kick. The Pie Man is chuckling whereever he is.
Messi is off
There should be a Wallbanger with Saha on the physio's table.
Good idea
Another give away for a corner
We don't even try to win the header from the goal kick
But there's already one of those with Ledley King....!
Yikes
Thierry Henry is warming up.
I have NEVER seen United play worse.
NEVER
Is Ronaldo still on the pitch? He's been really quiet since the penalty.
What was that from the free kick.
Two passes... give them a throw in
I'm suddenly starting to think that Roman Abramovic has orchestrated this entire season.
shut it
"We are not amused." - the Barcelona fans.
phew
What a dive
Iniesta goes down. I'm not sure that there was any contact there. Should have got a yellow. Why don't the refs follow that rule?
19 minutes to go
Hargreaves picks up a yellow for a challenge on Deco.
Since Messi went off, Barca haven't really had a sniff around goal. He's all they've got.
A decent shout there for Ronaldo after all, but as I said the ref has given him a quota of one penalty for the evening. He's had his chance.
Krkc is bloody tiny. He hasn't got a hope of challenging Rio in the air. He'd need a stepladder.
Roon to come off for Nani.
here comes nani for Roo
Who is on yellows for United?
Hargreaves is now on a yellow for the second leg.
I wonder who else? Roon? Ron? Rio?
TH-15 coming on for Deco...
YIKES
TH-14
Dunno.
Here we go again, giving the ball away in our own half.
Nani is on a yellow
USELESS
Shame. Park and Tevez weren't on the same wavelength.
12 minutes left of this torture.
I was excited about this.
VERY VERY UPSET
I can't really remember United ever being a long ball team, can you? I think Cruyff's having a laugh.
I know that they've been disappointing but they're still very much in this tie and you'd have to say it's advantage United if it ends at 0-0.
He's an idiot
Whew, that was a strike from Henry!
BLOODY TH
Almost caught out VDS
Useless cross by Owen
Giggs on for Tevez
Barca fans not looking too happy.
Tevez off for old man Giggs.
dangerous back pass by Scholes
free kick chance again
I would luv it if United scored here
luv it
nice dive... another free kick
TH looks up for this one
Last free kick opportunity for Barca...
Well done VDS
Henry with a decent effort but VDS has it well covered.
just over a minute
two minutes of added of time
Into stoppage time.
That's it - 0-0
Are you happy now? You should be.
Phew,
A very horrible non-United type display.
I am not happy. I guess a draw is okay but they get an away goal and we could be out!!
Too bad that Ronaldo missed the pen. He looked funny facing up to it for some reason and the ref might have put him off a bit for the way he placed it in front of the spot.
Still, there were times where you were uncharacteristically under the cosh without relief.
Get them back to Old Trafford and then see them off.
Riise? What a vegetable he is for trying to head a ball 18 inches off the ground in the final minute of extra time in front of his own net. Bet Rafa rued not putting Hyppia in so that it would have been KICKED away.
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