That challenge by Pepe is what we see in the EPL every weekend...the game would have probably ended goaless at that rate, making the return everything to play for.

Real were doomed from the beginning with Ramos,Pepe, Ronaldo and can't remember who else already on a yellow from the start. I hate the way Barca players approach the ref demanding a red card and the retard succumbed. Pedro & Busquets should win oscars for best actor and best supporting actor respectively, of course with Di Maria as runners up - I have no respect for such players.

That said, the 2nd Messi goal was a marvel, the first resulted from a Marcelo slip that let Affelay through. I'm disappointed that the return will really be a formality and Madridistas should feel hard done in...oh well, that's football.

I don't fear Barca in the finals, if SAF didn't learn from his mistakes in 2009 then I'll take comfort in being in 3 finals in 4 years...after the small matter of Schalke of course.

For now, Emirates it is

I think its true...Barca cant win clean....how can it be every team you play against has men sent off for diving....??

How???

How can it be??

.....I can't agree more, before the send off, barca had 71% ball possession with only 2 shots on target, the Mourhino tactics were surely working!!!!

Brian Healy says...

Spainish football was shown to be what it is tonight.Nothing more then a bunch of cheating conmen!!It was nothing short of a joke the carry on by the players.Uefa should fine both clubs for making a show of football.Iv never seen so much cheating in my life.Both clubs should be punished.But we all know they wont because Uefa would only love to see Barca or Madrid win the CL.But sure we all know Uefa are the biggest cheats of them all!!


Michael Hunter says...

Absolute shocker of a game between two teams of cheaters. 11 girls versus 10 girls and Messi. Best two teams in the world? Barca the best club side ever? God help us all.

"If I tell Uefa what I really think and feel, my career would end now," Mourinho said. "Instead, I will just ask a question to which I hope one day to get a response: why? Why? Why Ovrebo? Why Busacca? Why De Bleeckere? Why Stark? Why? Because every semi-final the same things happen. We are talking about an absolutely fantastic football team, so why do they need that? Why? Why does a team as good as they are need something [extra] that is so obvious that everyone sees it?

"Why Ovrebo [two] years ago [when the Norwegian referee did not give Chelsea a series of penalties against Barcelona]? Why couldn't Chelsea go to the final? Last year it was a miracle that Inter got there playing with 10 men for so long. A miracle. Why weren't there four penalties against Chelsea [in 2009]? Why send off [Arsenal's Robin] Van Persie [in the last 16]? Where does their power come from?