ACTUALITE |
03.11.2004
Mission accomplished (2-1)
It was a case of mission accomplished by Barca as a superb late winner from Ronaldinho crowned a sparkling attacking performance to take the three points.
Milan boss Ancelotti said before the game that Barca is playing some of the best football in Europe and he was right! The fans were treated tonight to a match full of thrilling, one-touch football by a Barca team that dominated possession against an AC Milan side that defended well as a unit and often looked dangerous on the break.
Milan went ahead thanks to a well taken goal by Shevchenko in the 17th minute but then 15 minutes of unrelenting pressure from Barca led to a deserved equalizer from Eto`o. The Barca players continued to press but it looked as if their dominance would go unrewarded until Ronaldinho pounced on a pass from Eto`o and in a lightening fast movement to his left lost two defenders to fire a left foot rocket into the top corner of the net. This result puts Barca level with Milan on nine points at the top of Group F and virtually assures qualification for the knockout stage of the competition.
Attacking football at its best
Barca started strongly and Deco had the first chance of the evening in only the 4th minute as he headed just wide from Belletti`s in-swinging left foot cross. But Milan showed they would be a constant threat on the counterattack as in the 14th minute Serginho broke down the left to fire a cross to Kaká. The young Brazilian miscued his shot for Valdes to save well. Just three minutes later, Pirlo hit a long curving ball forward from well inside his own half to find Shevchenko just outside the box.
The Ukrainian wrong-footed Oleguer and coolly tapped the ball past Valdes for the opening goal of the night (0-1). The Barca players reacted in the best possible manner, running constantly at the Milan defence and repeatedly winning the ball back deep in the Milan half. In the next ten minutes, first Ronaldinho then Deco both went close. Then, in the 36th minute, Marquez received the ball in the centre of the pitch and passed to Xavi on the right halfway in the Milan half. He immediately slotted the ball through to Eto`o running onto the penalty spot for the African footballer of the year to hit the ball into the roof of the net (1-1). The remaining ten minutes saw ferocious attacking play by Barca and Milan were perhaps fortunate to go in at halftime on level terms.
More of the same
Neither manager made any changes at half time and the game carried on where it had left off, with Barca attacking in wave after wave and the Milan players defending as best they could. Xavi almost put Barca ahead in the 54th minute after a long-range effort from Deco was spilled by Dida in the Milan goal, but the Brazilian international goalkeeper just managed to save the rebound shot with his outstretched foot.
This was immediately followed by another brilliant save from Geo. Xavi got into the act again in the 63rd minute with yet another excellent long-range drive which Dida palmed over for a corner. With Barca having more than 60% of the possession, a winner seemed inevitable but the visitors continued to hang on with a disciplined display of defending and the constant menace of a breakaway goal. In the 74th minute, another superb long-range shot from Xavi from Deco`s layoff just failed to find the net.
The blistering pace of the game inevitably dropped as both managers made substitutions. Then, just when it seemed that Barca would have to settle for a draw, Eto`o fed the ball from right to left across the face of the penalty box, Ronaldinho swerved to his left leaving two defenders for dead and fired an unstoppable left foot shot into the top left-hand corner of the net. (2-1). There was still time for Larsson to get a third in the final minute but his shot flew high over the bar.
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