Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Champions League: Chelsea Eliminates Barcelona to Reach Final

Ten-man Chelsea knock out defending champions Barcelona out of the Champions League after drawing 2–2 (3–2 to Chelsea on aggregate) at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain on April 24, 2012. Chelsea will now play Real Madrid or Bayern Munich for the May 19, 2012 final at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. It is Chelsea's first Champions League final since losing to Manchester United in a penalty kicks shootout in 2008.

The match will be best remembered for Messi’s missed penalty and Chelsea captain John Terry being sent off. As expected, the Catalans began strongly, playing their attacking football to overcome the 1-0 deficit from Stamford Bridge. Sergio Busquets put Barca ahead in the 35th minute and Andrés Iniesta doubled it in the 43th minute. Ramires put the tie back into Chelsea's hands chipping Víctor Valdés at the stroke of halftime from a superb pass from Lampard. John Terry was red carded for a silly kick on Alexis Sánchez. To Chelsea’s credit, the Blues withheld waves of Barca attacks in the second half. Substitute Fernando Torres scored in the final minute of injury time to put the icing of the cake for Chelsea.

Ramires, Raul Meireles and Branislav Ivanovic will join Terry on the sidelines at the final after picking up bookings. Bayern Munich lead Real Madrid 2–1 going into the second semi-final of the Champions League to be played at Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, April 25.
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