Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1 (Barcelona advance on away goals)
I am stunned. Gobsmacked. In disbelief. Not only that Chelsea massaged their slim lead earned through Michael Essien's wonder-strike for over 80 minutes, but mostly that referee Tom Henning Øvrebø somehow ignored three (if not four) clear second half penalty fouls, at least one of which was also a clear red card.
The least stunning part is that Barcelona pulled it out, even at 10 men thanks to Eric Abidal's (incorrect) late ejection. The smash-and-grab came courtesy of stoppage time hero Andres Iniesta - who buried the visitors' lone shot on goal from the evening after hero-turned-goat Essien had a blonde moment trying to clear with space to operate.
By that point, there was only time for one more obvious penalty to be ignored.
UPDATE: I've posted a column on this topic over at S365 and added a media reaction clip at the bottom of this post.
Didier Drogba's take on the officiating? Not for delicate ears...
Drogba Yes - Watch the top videos of the week here
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink speaks post-match...
As does winning boss Pep Guardiola (who, by the way, looked so damn cool out there)
Finally, various media outlets and commentators have their say on it all.
- Greg Seltzer
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3 comments:
So I guess you're a big Chelsea fan. That or you know nothing about soccer. Only a true fan could see two dives in the box that was given as fouls outside of the box as a wrongs against the diver.
I have absolutely zero feeling for Chelsea. None. Less than none. If forced with a gun to my head to choose a Prem team to support, it would be Arsenal... so I'm clearly not anything resembling a Chelsea fan.
I do, however, hold quite a bit of affection for Barcelona, due to all the Ajax connections, their style and their way of doing things as an organization. I love Barcelona FC, always have.
I have been nudged by a friend to admit to possibly having a bias as an attacking player. :D
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