FCB-Chelsea

cesc: “We were loyal to our style of play”

The Azulgrana midfielder thanked the fans for their support and he said that tonight’s defeat was “a hard blow” for the players 


Cesc advised his teammates to look forward and to think about the “last four games of the Liga and the final of the King’s Cup”

The FC Barcelona players are disappointed that they didn’t make it to the Champions League final. “It’s a painful way to go out because we were superior. The result in Stamford Bridge is what did us in,” said Cesc Fàbregas after the match. When Barça went up 2-0 the team had its sights set on Munich, however Chelsea scored two goals from two chances and killed off the tie. The Azulgrana midfielder said that “we played a great game, we dominated and we created a lot of chances. We didn’t sacrifice our style.”


A very difficult defeat 


“It’s painful to be eliminated this way, seeing that we had a lot of chances to score,” said a very up-front Cesc, who added “it’s a very hard blow.” The midfielder, however, reassured hit teammates and Barça fans that “we have to hold our heads high” and that next year “we’ll have the chance to do important things.” He added that the players have shown “that they can better themselves.”


The players must look forward and think about “the last four games in La Liga and the King’s Cup final.” Fàbregas said that it’s too early to make a judgement on his team’s season and that “we have to keep looking forward. We have to react quickly, even if it’s only for our fans.”


10 out of 10 for the fans


Despite the defeat, the midfielder congratulated the supporters for their amazing attitude and for cheering on the team. “I’ve never seen the Camp Nou like that after a defeat,” said Cesc. He added that Barça “are a big team” because it has incredible “players, managers and fans.”


Here are the statements made by the some of the players on Twitter after the match:


Isaac Cuenca


“We fought until the end. Fans, I’m very sorry. We’ll pick ourselves up with your help #forçabarça”


Iniesta


“It’s a difficult and hard moment. We did everything to be in the Munich final, but it wasn’t meant to be...”


Alves


“I’d like to thank all the Culés for your support and, at the same time, apologize for what happened. We tired but it wasn’t meant to be”

Guardiola: “This year it wasn't to be”

Pep Guardiola, disappointed with his team’s elimination, indicated that Barça played two fantastic matches against Chelsea

The manager thanked the supporters and his players for their dedication

“It wasn’t meant to be this year. The first thing that goes through my head is immense sorrow. Forgive me if I’m not clairvoyant, but I have the perception that with time I’ll say: ‘we played an excellent tie.’” Josep Guardiola analyzed the two-leg tie against Chelsea with his heart and and head: “we played exceptionally well for 180 minutes, we did everything we could to be in the final. We’ve never worked this hard to be in a final.”

He added: “we have to know what we did incorrectly and correct it.” The Barça manager analyzed the moments after his team took a two-goal lead: “with the 2-0 we didn’t stop, we kept on attacking. No one can have everything. It can be a lesson that you learn with time.”

The story repeats itself 

Guardiola, who congratulated Chelsea “for their defensive work” and for their spot in the final, was clear and honest: “we failed because we didn’t score [more goals]. However, we worked very hard to be here.” According to the manager, “the important thing is that we made it here and we were once again very, very close.”

He also highlighted a couple of key aspects of tonight’s match: “the 2-1 wasn’t good for us psychologically. We went out in the second half, we had a penalty, and they were reinforced.” He added with resignation: “we saw a repeat of the same story in Lodon, they scored in the 45+1 minute.”

Praise for the fans and for Messi 

Guardiola especially wanted to thank the fans for their support. “The fans, simply spectacular. They carried us and I’m very thankful to them. They also saw that we gave it our all. Perhaps we have changed their mentality but we have to win once again,” said the manager while trying to hide his disappointment with a smile. Guardiola also acknowledged Leo Messi in a very public way: “I want to thank him for everything he’s done, my admiration for him is insurmountable. He’s an example to us all on how to be better each day.”

Barça now have four games left in La Liga and the final of the Cup. Pep Guardiola explained how he plans to keep his men motivated: “we have to value the emotional aspect of the players  and see how we can recover them.”

Piqué in hospital

Medical tests have ruled out any injuries to the player

Gerard Piqué underwent tests at hospital after the collision with Víctor Valdés and Drogba. The player will remain in observation at hospital even though any type of injury has been ruled out.

The Catalan defender was involved in a collision with Drogba and Valdés at the start of the first half of the Champions League semi-final at the Camp Nou. He was subbed off after 25 minutes for Dani Alves.

Barça bow out, but with their heads held high (2-2)

Busquets put FC Barcelona ahead shortly before Terry was sent off for kneeing Alexis in the back

Leading 1-0 and with an extra man, Iniesta increased Barça’s lead

Shortly before the break, a long range chip from Ramires put Chelsea back in control

Barça hit the post twice in the second half, once from the penalty spot

A late Torres goal while Guardiola’s side was deep in the Chelsea half settled the game in injury time

Tonight’s game showed just how cruel football can be sometimes. FC Barcelona, who shot no fewer than 23 times, twice onto the post, as also happened in the first leg, have been knocked out of the Champions League. But they go out with their heads held high, having remained faithful to their brave, attacking style, and almost incomprehensively being unrewarded for their efforts. There was nothing to criticise about Barça tonight, but luck simply was not on their side.

And that was despite things getting off to a far better start than anybody could have wished for. Busquets and Iniesta scored and Terry was sent off. It had taken just 43 minutes for Barça to turn the tie back into their favour. But a shock goal from Ramires meant that Barça still had some work to do in the second half. Messi hit the post twice, once from the penalty spot, and the last 45 minutes were a monologue as FCB tried and tried, and tried again, to find their way through the ten remaining men that Chelsea had camped deep in their own half. The goal just didn’t want to come, and then, inexplicably, Fernando Torres ran half the length of the pitch on his own before rounding Valdés to slot home the goal that sentenced the tie. Di Matteo’s side barely had any chances in the entire game, but made the very most of the few they did.

The upshot of it all is that the defending champions are out of the competition despite demonstrating that they are a far superior side to Chelsea. But if you don’t take your chances, you pay the price, and it is for that reason alone that Barcelona will not be going to Munich.

Stop-start beginning

Guardiola made as many as four changes to the side that started the clásico. He opted for a three-man defence of Mascherano, Piqué and Puyol, without out-and-out full backs. And it was the respective team’s centre backs that were the protagonists of the first few minutes of football. For Chelsea, Cahill was substituted by Bosingwa after just 11 minutes of play. A quarter of an hour later Piqué was replaced, by Alves, in the same position for FCB, after a brutal aerial clash involving himself, Valdés and Drogba left him momentarily stunned on the floor. So many interruptions were doing nothing to benefit Barcelona’s plans.

Busquets pulls the tie level

Whenever the ball was in play, events panned out almost identically to the way they did at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, with only Drogba in an advanced position, had little intention of doing anything other than defend, and left it to Barça to take the initiative, with Alexis the most active, especially when supplied by an energetic Cuenca on the right. And it was the latter who created the first goal of the night, following a corner kick, with an exquisite pass to Busquets. Everything was back level, and the Camp Nou started roaring.

Terry off

Shortly after his side went a goal down, Terry, in an off the ball incident, kneed Alexis in the back. It was a shockingly foolish action for a man of his experience, and cost him a red card and ultimately a place in the Munich final. With Cahill injured, Terry sent off and David Luiz already sidelined through injury, Chelsea were left without any natural centre backs. Their intention had clearly been to come to Barcelona and defend, and they were now condemned to doing so with a makeshift back four of Ramires, Ivanovic, Bosingwa and Cole. Five minutes later, Barça made them pay the price with a rapid counter attack that ended with Messi supplying an assist for Iniesta to make it 2-0. At that point, it looked like Barça would end up romping home. Munich was in sight.

But just like on Saturday against Madrid, when Cristiano Ronaldo responded almost immediately to Alexis’ goal, FC Barcelona were hit within in seconds of scoring themselves. Ramires managed to lose his marker and sent home a long-range chip to make it 2-1, and the away goal meant that Chelsea were, as things stood, heading for Munich again.

Messi misses penalty

The manic end to the first half carried over into the second. Within seconds, the referee was pointing to the penalty spot after Drogba brought down Cesc in the area. But Messi struck his spot-kick straight against the Chelsea bar. Moments later, an Alexis header skimmed wide of the post, and then a Cuenca effort was turned away by Chelsea keeper Cech. The onslaught on the Chelsea goal was constant, and Chelsea had withdrawn so intensely into their own area that even Drogba did his bit by playing at left back.

Everything was heading in one direction – that of Cech, who was simply outstanding this evening. But he was beaten by Alexis, who was caught offside by the very narrowest of margins, and shortly after Messi hit the post for the second time of the night. The ball just did not want to go in.

Torres, and game over

And incredible as it might seem, with Barça now sending everything they had forward in search of the elusive third goal, the ball somehow ended up in the path of late substitute Torres. The Spaniard ran solo across half the length of the pitch, dribbled the ball around Valdés, and scored the goal that ended any hope Barça had of appearing in the Munich final. Football can be so unfair sometimes.