Manchester United Vs. Barcelona Result Report

Before the game the message was to believe. Now you can. United are going to Moscow.

And what sweet irony it is that Paul Scholes, the man who along with Roy Keane missed the Champions League final in 1999, scored the goal to take United there.

United were dealt a real blow when Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney were ruled out before kick-off. Vidic hadn’t recovered after losing a tooth in a challenge with Didier Drogba against Chelsea on Saturday, while Rooney was kept out with a persistent hip problem. Fortunately, Wes Brown had slotted in seamlessly in the Nou Camp last week when Vidic was ill. And Rooney’s replacement, Carlos Tevez, has scored important goals in big games this season – notably Chelsea, Liverpool, Lyon and, recently, Blackburn.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are considered a club in crisis in Catalonia. But Frank Rijkaard was able to rest several key players in their weekend defeat to Deportivo la Coruna, so they arrived at Old Trafford fresh and with the Champions League representing their only chance of silverware this season.

Before kick-off, United’s fans held up cards in the Stretford End and the old schoreboard end. Behind one goal, a picture of the European Cup and the years 68 and 99, at the other end the simple message: Believe. After press claims that Sir Alex’s side had cracked under pressure, it was exactly what United had to do.

Old Trafford buzzed with anticipation and the atmosphere was as electric as it has been for years. But hearts were in mouths when, after barely a minute, Lionel Messi went tumbling in the box. Paul Scholes committed the foul, but referee Herbert Fandel judged the offence to have taken place outside the box.

Sometimes semi-finals are an occasion that call for supporters to be on their game as much as the players, and the Red army weren’t about to let anyone down. The fans cheered each intricate move, every tackle won, even throw-ins. It was no surprise that the first 10 minutes were fraught and frenetic. As the dust settled, Barcelona did as the European away manual dictates: they kept the ball, attempting to quieten the support and frustrate United’s players.

The Reds almost expected it, sticking to the game plan and picking Barcelona off when they did venture forward. And at the first opportunity Cristiano Ronaldo had to open up and run at Barcelona, the approach paid off. His run was halted on the edge of the area, but the ball fell to Paul Scholes and he hit a humdinger into the top corner. He may no longer give many reasons to legitimately air the song ‘Paul Scholes, he scores goals’, but if he has become more selective, he’s not lost his sense for the big occasion. Old Trafford erupted. The dream start.

Barcelona, of course, still represented a danger – Messi’s darting runs and the presence of Samuel Eto’o made sure of that. The point was highlighted when Messi had Edwin van der Sar at full stretch to stop a curling effort five minutes after United took the lead.

United, with Ronaldo ever the outlet, were hardly sitting on the lead. The Portuguese winger’s pull-back found Ji-sung Park on 25 minutes, whose side-footed shot was desperately close to doubling the lead. Deco twice went close from long range efforts, while Nani headed just wide from Park’s pinpoint cross. As the play ebbed and flowed, this tie became the product of two clubs built only to attack.

The Reds had to be careful that the lead at half time did not lull United into a false sense of security, knowing that a Barcelona equaliser would be enough to send them through. United attacked without reservation, and on 55 minutes Tevez went close to making it 2-0. A neat one-two with Ronaldo on the edge of the box and he was aware, with three defenders in pursuit, but his shot from 12 yards was saved well by Victor Valdes.

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was introduced on the hour as Barcelona looked to penetrate, and seconds later Deco again went close with a 30-yard free-kick that deflected off the wall. The tension at the precariousness of United’s lead may have added to the drama for any neutral, but for Reds fans it was hell. But credit to the supporters, the noise rarely inside the stadium rarely dropped.

Sensing the need to keep the ball – Barcelona held the vast majority of the possession – Sir Alex swapped Nani and Scholes for Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher.

Entering the final ten minutes, it had become a game of surprisingly few chances, although Barcelona were virtually camped in United’s half and continued to relentlessly probe and press. The Reds’ performance was epitomised by Tevez. His tireless display took on the role of closing down defenders, tracking back and tackling anything that moved in a Barcelona shirt.


The six minutes of injury time seemed like an age, but United defended bravely, valiantly, and finally held out.

Follow, follow, follow, United are going to Moscow.

Team Line-ups

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra (Silvestre 90); Nani (Giggs 76), Carrick, Scholes (Fletcher 76), Park; Ronaldo, Tevez.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Anderson, O'Shea, Welbeck.

FC Barcelona: Valdes; Zambrotta, Puyol, Milito, Abidal; Messi, Xavi, Toure (Gudjohnsen), Deco, Iniesta (Henry 60); Eto'o (Bojan 71).
Subs not used: Pinto, Edmilson, Silvinho, Thuram.

Attendance: 75,061