FC BARCELONA - ARSENAL
The biggest game of the year, so far. And, if it were not for the World Cup, no doubt it would be. The Champion of Champions of 2006 will be born today in one of my favorite cities, Paris, born from the battle of two of my favorite foreign clubs. Not only because of the Dutch players like 'van Bommel' and 'van Bronckhorst', playing for Barcelona, and maybe Bergkamp playing for Arsenal, will this game be a fest for me. Also the fair change of the Dutch Coach of Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard, to make history and hold up the cup for the second time in his career, fuels my enthusiasm. Pictures of Frank holding up the cup, then as player in 1992 flashed through my mind. Could it happen again?
In London and in Barcelona life came to a stop. Either you watched at home or in the pub, or you listened to the radio, in traffic frustrated in transit to wherever you were going to watch the match. I have friends in London who are hardcore Arsenal fans. And, as I recently found out, I have an old Dutch friend in Spain wearing Barcelona's colors.
I set the typewriter ready and the software to take pictures of the TV. I am ready for football history.
The football players of two giant football clubs entered the field. Rhonaldinho sticked his tong out to lick his lips. I did not mention him yet. However, he is a class apart. Personally, I think he is going to outshine legend Pele, next month in Germany. But he will try just as hard today, what a game.
Arsenal starts strong, Barcelona's keeper Valdez, with a stretched dive, saved a shot of Arsenal's spits Henry after only three minutes of play.
I waited until the eight minute for the first shot on the goal of Arsenal, Barcelona struggled. Arsenal defended well and if they needed to put two men on Barcelona's top player Ronaldinho, they did. It worked until the twelfth minute, when Ronaldinho can take a free kick on a closer distance then the famous free kick against England in the 2002 World Cup final. But the god missed.
A few minutes later Ronaldinho gave a straight pass to the middle of the field. The Arsenal's goalkeeper Lehman is passed and in a flare of frustration and desperation, the world sees how Lehman's right hand held the left leg of a player of Barcelona. Red card.
The game turned, Barcelona missed the free kick but it could play the game with one man more then Arsenal. Barcelona moved the game on the half of Arsenal. A goal seemed eminent.
More misfortune for Arsenal as Eboue received a yellow card in the twenty-second minute. Nevertheless, Arse
nal surprised, out of a free kick taken by Henry in the thirty-sixth minute Campbell heads the ball into Barcelona's goal. Jumping at least a feet above everybody else, he showed that Arsenal is far from beaten.
Barcelona is dominant throughout the remainder of the first half but is too flustered to put the ball in the net. The whistle blows half time and Barcelona went to the locker room one nil down.
After a dry fifteen-minute break, rain poored outside, Barcelona started the second half with turning up the heat on Arsenal. The forty-seventh minute a hard shot of Deco, through the middle, met Arsenal's new goalie. Even van Bommel appeared close up in screen as he slipped a tight pass to the middle of the penalty box of Arsenal, to bad it was empty.
But Arsenal came back in with vicious counters, Henry developed as it was expected of Ronaldinho. Valdes, the spanish goalkeeper, saved the anxious Spanish several times from a total nervous breakdown.
"More balls over the counter," said the commentator. "The keeper getting free practice with all those death balls trough the middle."
I shook my head, nonsense I thought, just bad luck.
Then it happened, Eto'O placed ball through a little hole between the pole and the keeper. At the same time the rain exploded as Barcelona fans in France lighted red flairs. So sad for a tough playing arsenal, but faith arrived at a crossroad
and it followed the road to Barcelona.
1-1.
In the
Seventy-ninth minute, Beletti aimed the ball through the legs of the Arsenal Keeper.
2-1
Barcelona fans started the party, the train was on track.
Barcelona leaded factually now by one goal, but mentally they leaded by a lightyear.
"Maybe Bergkamp gets a chance," speculates the commentator. "They need a striker".
Now I agree, it would be a great token of thanks towards the soon to be retired Dutch man. But Arsenal's coach kept Bergkamp on the bench.
The commentator attention switches to Rijkaard, the end came near, and a fairytale came true. I saw a few last dangerous counters of Arsenal, my hat of to them. But Barcelona showed worthy right to the last whistle, to the moment they became the Champions of the Champions.
Sorry, Chrissie.
The biggest game of the year, so far. And, if it were not for the World Cup, no doubt it would be. The Champion of Champions of 2006 will be born today in one of my favorite cities, Paris, born from the battle of two of my favorite foreign clubs. Not only because of the Dutch players like 'van Bommel' and 'van Bronckhorst', playing for Barcelona, and maybe Bergkamp playing for Arsenal, will this game be a fest for me. Also the fair change of the Dutch Coach of Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard, to make history and hold up the cup for the second time in his career, fuels my enthusiasm. Pictures of Frank holding up the cup, then as player in 1992 flashed through my mind. Could it happen again?
In London and in Barcelona life came to a stop. Either you watched at home or in the pub, or you listened to the radio, in traffic frustrated in transit to wherever you were going to watch the match. I have friends in London who are hardcore Arsenal fans. And, as I recently found out, I have an old Dutch friend in Spain wearing Barcelona's colors.
I set the typewriter ready and the software to take pictures of the TV. I am ready for football history.
The football players of two giant football clubs entered the field. Rhonaldinho sticked his tong out to lick his lips. I did not mention him yet. However, he is a class apart. Personally, I think he is going to outshine legend Pele, next month in Germany. But he will try just as hard today, what a game.
Arsenal starts strong, Barcelona's keeper Valdez, with a stretched dive, saved a shot of Arsenal's spits Henry after only three minutes of play.
I waited until the eight minute for the first shot on the goal of Arsenal, Barcelona struggled. Arsenal defended well and if they needed to put two men on Barcelona's top player Ronaldinho, they did. It worked until the twelfth minute, when Ronaldinho can take a free kick on a closer distance then the famous free kick against England in the 2002 World Cup final. But the god missed.
A few minutes later Ronaldinho gave a straight pass to the middle of the field. The Arsenal's goalkeeper Lehman is passed and in a flare of frustration and desperation, the world sees how Lehman's right hand held the left leg of a player of Barcelona. Red card.
The game turned, Barcelona missed the free kick but it could play the game with one man more then Arsenal. Barcelona moved the game on the half of Arsenal. A goal seemed eminent.
More misfortune for Arsenal as Eboue received a yellow card in the twenty-second minute. Nevertheless, Arse
nal surprised, out of a free kick taken by Henry in the thirty-sixth minute Campbell heads the ball into Barcelona's goal. Jumping at least a feet above everybody else, he showed that Arsenal is far from beaten.Barcelona is dominant throughout the remainder of the first half but is too flustered to put the ball in the net. The whistle blows half time and Barcelona went to the locker room one nil down.
After a dry fifteen-minute break, rain poored outside, Barcelona started the second half with turning up the heat on Arsenal. The forty-seventh minute a hard shot of Deco, through the middle, met Arsenal's new goalie. Even van Bommel appeared close up in screen as he slipped a tight pass to the middle of the penalty box of Arsenal, to bad it was empty.
But Arsenal came back in with vicious counters, Henry developed as it was expected of Ronaldinho. Valdes, the spanish goalkeeper, saved the anxious Spanish several times from a total nervous breakdown.
"More balls over the counter," said the commentator. "The keeper getting free practice with all those death balls trough the middle."
I shook my head, nonsense I thought, just bad luck.
Then it happened, Eto'O placed ball through a little hole between the pole and the keeper. At the same time the rain exploded as Barcelona fans in France lighted red flairs. So sad for a tough playing arsenal, but faith arrived at a crossroad
and it followed the road to Barcelona.1-1.
In the
Seventy-ninth minute, Beletti aimed the ball through the legs of the Arsenal Keeper.
2-1
Barcelona fans started the party, the train was on track.
Barcelona leaded factually now by one goal, but mentally they leaded by a lightyear.
"Maybe Bergkamp gets a chance," speculates the commentator. "They need a striker".
Now I agree, it would be a great token of thanks towards the soon to be retired Dutch man. But Arsenal's coach kept Bergkamp on the bench.
The commentator attention switches to Rijkaard, the end came near, and a fairytale came true. I saw a few last dangerous counters of Arsenal, my hat of to them. But Barcelona showed worthy right to the last whistle, to the moment they became the Champions of the Champions.
Sorry, Chrissie.
posted by meeusen at 9:29 AM
