Barça and Chelsea have drawn 0-0

Barça and Chelsea have drawn 0-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi final. In an intense encounter that Barça largely controlled, the two goalkeepers proved decisive with some crucial saves.

With a veritable constellation of stars out on the Camp Nou pitch, and the Barça temple packed to the rafters with a capacity crowd of 95,231 spectators, this game had all the hallmarks of being a classic Champions League encounter. But although the players didn’t disappoint, the goals failed to come, with both sides fully aware that are another 90 minutes to play in London next week. Barça played their trademark attacking football in a highly ordered fashion, but although they enjoyed far more of the possession, the best chance of the first half fell to Didier Drogba, who was twice denied by an impeccable Victor Valdés.

Barça then suffered a nightmare after the restart, with Ballack coming close and then Márquez being stretchered off the field with a serious meniscus injury. Guardiola’s side gradually got their game back, and on several occasions brought the very best out of an impressive Petr Cech. Chelsea spent most of the second half shut inside their own half, and managed to achieve what appeared to be their most seriously pursued objective, escaping from the Camp Nou with a clean sheet.

Ball on the ground

Barça did not take long to realise that Chelsea are an immensely physical outfit, with a rock-solid midfield, and with the visitors so strong in the air, it was important to keep the ball on the ground, where the Barça players feel more at home. Xavi and Iniesta once against orchestrated the action, supported all the way by an immense Touré. The home side was gaining ground fast, and putting pressure not only on the visiting defence, but even on their keeper Cech. It was a Xavi effort from outside the area that skimmed the post that was the nearest Barça came to scoring in the first half.

Barça played it deep and seemed far more willing to play the waiting game than they have done in recent matches, but looked comfortable enough controlling the possession and looking for ways through the Chelsea defence, with Henry making the most dangerous runs down the left. It was the Frenchman who showed the way forward with a rifled long shot in the 33rd minute that Chelsea’s Czech international keeper dealt with expertly.

Drogba danger

Hiddink’s side looked to break the rhythm of the game with constant interruptions, which also turned up the heat on an intriguing game. And it was Chelsea that came closest to breaking the deadlock. In the 38th minute, Drogba intercepted a mistimed backpass from Márquez and found himself one on one with Valdés, who heroically blocked the Ivorian’s first effort and then bounced back to his feet to palm away the rebound. It was thanks to that flash of brilliance from the Barça keeper that the sides were still on level terms at the break.

Calamitous restart

Chelsea continued applying pressure after the restart, with a Ballack header only narrowly floating over the bar. It was not the start to the half that Barça could have wished for, and then in a thumping clash in the air, Henry ended up semi-conscious on the floor – he managed to recover and play on, but he never looked quite the same after the incident. Matters soon became even worse. While running alone, Rafa Márquez trod awkwardly, damaged his meniscus, and was carried off the field.

Fighting spirit

Barça were struggling, and it was time for the fans to pick the side up, and the delicate situation was soon behind them as they once against started producing the kind of football we know and love. Messi sent an effort only slightly too high, and then Cech produced yet more brilliance to prevent both Alves in the 61st minute, and Samuel Eto’o following an tremendous 69th minute run, from putting Barça into the lead.

Frantic to the end

With the deadlock unbroken, the final minutes of the game saw both sides throwing everything they had into the game. Barça were carrying the possession, and always looked the more likely side to score, but Chelsea’s rapid counter attack was always a very real threat. But when the ninety minutes were up, the Premiership side opted to defend en masse and see out the five minutes of stoppage time, although both Hleb, with his head, and Bojan, with his feet, enjoyed splendid chances. But luck was not on their side, and there is still everything to play for when these two sides meet again next week at Stamford Bridge.

by Jordi Clos