Barcelona - NouCamp Faithful

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 1 - 2 Real Madrid : Ronaldo nets Clasico winner

Cristiano Ronaldo finally stood up to be counted in a Clasico as record-breaking Real Madrid took a giant step towards wrestling the Primera Division title from Barcelona's grasp.

The debate over who is better out of Ronaldo or Barca counterpart Lionel Messi has raged for some time now, but unlike the former, the latter has always been able to call on an impeccable record in this fixture.

Tonight, though, Ronaldo stepped up, scoring a 73rd-minute winner that puts Jose Mourinho's men seven points clear of their old foes at the top of the table with four games remaining.

He struck just two minutes after Alexis Sanchez had bundled in an equaliser to cancel out Sami Khedira's equally scrappy first-half opener - a goal that set a new record for goals in a league season.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 2 - 2 Chelsea : Barca crashed out

2nd Leg (Chelsea wins 3-2 on agg)


Fernando Torres skips past Victor Valdes to score the final goal and ensure Chelsea's progress

Chelsea produced one of the greatest escapes in the history of European football tonight as they survived the sending off of John Terry to win an astonishing Champions League semi-final with Barcelona.

On a night of unparalleled drama at the Nou Camp, Terry looked to have pressed the self-destruct button on the Blues' hopes of glory on the continent when he saw red for kneeing Alexis Sanchez from behind.

But the 10 men were simply magnificent for the rest of the second leg, fighting back from goals from Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta with a stunning chip from Ramires before half-time.

And after surviving a Barca siege from start to finish that saw Lionel Messi miss a penalty, Fernando Torres came off the bench to score a stoppage-time breakaway goal as Chelsea avenged their 2009 defeat in the most dramatic manner possible.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

i didn't expect chelsea to nick it at stamford bridge.
after that, i check on web the head2head stats....n it appears that chelsea do have a decent past records vs barca. they can get a few draws at nou camp.


2012-04-25 UEFA Champions League 2011/2012 Barcelona vs Chelsea

2012-04-19 UEFA Champions League 2011/2012 Chelsea 1 - 0 Barcelona

2009-05-07 UEFA Champions League 2008/2009 Chelsea 1 - 1 Barcelona

2009-04-29 UEFA Champions League 2008/2009 Barcelona 0 - 0 Chelsea

2006-11-01 UEFA Champions League 2006/2007 Barcelona 2 - 2 Chelsea

2006-10-19 UEFA Champions League 2006/2007 Chelsea 1 - 0 Barcelona

2006-03-07 UEFA Champions League 2005/2006 Barcelona 1 - 1 Chelsea

2006-02-22 UEFA Champions League 2005/2006 Chelsea 1 - 2 Barcelona

2005-03-08 UEFA Champions League 2004/2005 Chelsea 4 - 2 Barcelona

2005-02-23 UEFA Champions League 2004/2005 Barcelona 2 - 1 Chelsea

2012-04-25 UEFA Champions League 2011/2012 Barcelona 2 - 2 Chelsea

Chelsea done it again!!

[omnia]

Wat a match!...best advert for CL footie n the game of footie in general!...wld hv put, my hse on messi scoring fm the pen!...also on barca seeing out chelsea after terry's stupid knee kick red card...but like jimmy greaves use to say to ian st john "its a funny old game saint"...n that it certainly is...

fm a neutral's perspective this match had just abt everything u can imagine wif all the high drama n passion...to me barca r still the best footie team in tne world but on the night n over the 2 legs chelsea hv shown that they deserve to be in this yr's CL final n just may go on to win it afterall...perhaps its chelsea's destiny to meet real & mourhino in munich?!...

hv to say this barca team reminds me so much of the greatest brazilian team not to hv won the WC, brazil 82 wif the likes of falcao, socrates, n of course zico...they both play beautiful footie but unfortunately their defending skills let them down once in awhile...

playing 3-3-4 at the highest level of the game in the 21C is truly amazing n pure joy n delight to c...credit to pep n barca for providing us wif such entertainment notwithstanding going out of the CL...n long may they carry on to entertain us all...

[hoosdathu]

no doubt barca plays with superb attacking philosophy with the skilled players to put it into reality, but i won't call theirs the "beautiful game"...

not when one has seen the shameful acts of cheating they resort to, especially when they don't have possession. u just have to do a quick search on youtube to see how busquets, pedro, mascherano, etc play-act, dive and pull all kinds of dirty little tricks to send off their opponents. many referees also quite biased towards barca; chelsea's CL campaign kena spoilt by bad refereeing twice already.

just last night, could see puyol clutch his face and pretend kena hit in the face when kalou tried to shield him from the ball n accelerate away, during one incident. luckily it looked so stupid the referee wasn't fooled

[lacoruna69]

Play acting is always part of the strategy.....stakes are high....and sometimes the players is acting on instructions perhaps?
Winning is everything.....no point play pretty football but ends up losing.

C Ronaldo n Ashley Y are known dive kings mah.

Nowadays it is very commercialised......
I hope they can implement Goal Line Technology n off the pitch video refereeing to catch such "actors".....penalised them heavily.....sent them off.

Send out a strong signal to ensure Fair Play.

[lacoruna69]

Rayo Vallecano 0 - 7 Barcelona : Barca keeps Real Madrid waiting

Barcelona ended one of the most disappointing weeks in their recent history with a thumping 7-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano that ensures Real Madrid will have to wait at least a few more days to win the Primera Division title.

With Madrid beating Sevilla earlier to move 10 points clear at the summit, Jose Mourinho's men would have been crowned champions if Barca had lost at Rayo but the Catalan giants were not about to relinquish their title with a whimper in the capital.

Lionel Messi started and finished the scoring, with Barca's other goals coming from a Pedro Rodriguez brace, Seydou Keita, Thiago and a Robert own goal.

The result leaves Barca seven points behind Madrid with three games remaining and was the perfect response to a week that has rocked the Nou Camp club.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 4 - 1 Málaga : Messi breaks Muller record

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to break the record for most goals scored in a European season as Barcelona kept alive their slim title hopes with a convincing win over Malaga.

Carles Puyol fired Pep Guardiola's side in front at the Nou Camp, only for that lead to be cancelled out by Jose Salomon Rondon.

But Messi scored twice from the penalty spot before wrapping up his treble with a low drive to take his tally to 68 goals for the campaign, passing the previous mark of 67 set by Gerd Muller in 1972/73.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

A victory in vain coz Real Madrid beats Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away 2 hours later to wrap up the Primera Liga title.....

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 4 - 0 Espanyol : Messi passes milestone


Bye Bye.....Guardiola

Lionel Messi ensured Pep Guardiola received the perfect Nou Camp send off with a four-goal salvo as Barcelona crushed Espanyol tonight.

In Guardiola's final home game in charge before he stands down to make way for his assistant Tito Vilanova, he received a parting gift from arguably the most influential player over his four-year reign.

Messi was again magnificent as he moved on to 72 goals in what has been a remarkable season - 50 of which have come in the Primera Division. He now has 251 in 327 Barcelona appearances.

The Argentinian opened the scoring with a free-kick and completed his hat-trick with a trademark burst and finish. Goals two and four were from the penalty spot even though Espanyol could feel aggrieved by both spot-kick awards.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Real Betis 2 - 2 Barcelona : Battling Betis hold Barca

Seydou Keita's injury-time equaliser ensured Pep Guardiola's final Primera Division game as Barcelona manager was not marked by defeat as his side drew 2-2 at Real Betis.

Sergio Busquets put Barca ahead in the ninth minute of a first half they dominated but Betis responded well in the second half and they took advantage of Dani Alves' sending off in the 53rd minute.

The impressive Ruben Castro scored two sublime goals in three minutes and Betis were on course for victory before Keita headed home 90 seconds into injury time.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Athletic Bilbao 0 - 3 Barcelona : Barca say goodbye to Pep in style

Venue : Vicente Calderon, Spain

Barcelona waved goodbye to Pep Guardiola in style as a first-half demolition of Athletic Bilbao saw them cruise to victory in the Copa del Rey final.

The one-sided victory ensured a 14th trophy to end Guardiola's incredible four-year reign as the outgoing coach hands the reins to his assistant Tito Vilanova.

Lionel Messi had already come within inches of giving Barca the lead before they went ahead in the third minute as Pedro turned home a loose ball after Xavi's corner had deflected into his path.

Gorka Iraizoz made a fantastic save to deny Messi his 73rd goal of the season moments later, but the Argentinian was not to be denied and fired home from a narrow angle before Pedro doubled his tally with a fine finish midway through the half.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 5 - 1 Real Sociedad : Messi bags brace for five-goal Barca

David Villa scored in his first competitive appearance of the year and Lionel Messi netted a brace as Barcelona claimed a convincing 5-1 victory over Real Sociedad in new coach Tito Vilanova's Primera Division debut in the Nou Camp hotseat.

Villa, who missed the second half of last season and Euro 2012 after breaking his leg in December, netted after appearing as a late substitute to complete the win as Barca showed it was business as usual despite this summer's departure of record-breaking coach Pep Guardiola.

Earlier, during a frenetic start which saw four goals scored in the opening 16 minutes, Barca charged into a 3-1 lead with Carles Puyol - who also missed Spain's triumphant Euro 2012 campaign through injury - notching the first.

Sociedad briefly drew level when Gonzalo Castro netted but Messi then struck twice in five minutes to put the home side two goals clear.

Pedro Rodriguez then added a fourth before the break before Villa climbed off the bench to also get his name on the scoresheet as Vilanova's men made an impressive start to their Primera Division campaign.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 3 - 2 Real Madrid : Barca edge Supercup clash

1st Leg

Barcelona came from behind to take a slender lead from the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa at the Camp Nou.

Cristiano Ronaldo headed Real into the lead against the run of play 10 minutes into the second half from Mesut Ozil's corner, but Barcelona responded as Pedro showed great poise to slot home a minute later.

The action then raced from end to end and it was the hosts who forged ahead 20 minutes from time when Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot after Sergio Ramos had brought down Andres Iniesta.

Then a terrific jinking run from Iniesta freed Xavi to stroke home Barcelona's third goal seven minutes later.

However, the visitors were gifted a way back into the tie five minutes from time when Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes tried to dribble around Angel Di Maria and only succeeded in gifting the Argentinian an open goal.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Osasuna 1 - 2 Barcelona : Messi to the rescue

Lionel Messi scored twice in the last 15 minutes as Barcelona survived a scare against ten-man Osasuna to continue their winning start to the new season.

Osasuna beat Barcelona 3-2 in last season's corresponding fixture and the Catalan giants looked in danger of suffering another upset when Joseba Llorente volleyed the home side in front in the 17th minute tonight.

Striker Nino then had a great chance to double Osasuna's lead in the 70th minute, but he hit the post when clean through and 10 minutes later Barca were ahead and on their way to three points.

Messi, as has often been the case, was the spark behind the comeback, and he drew the teams level in the 75th minute when he stabbed home Alexis Sanchez's pass to finish off a move he himself had started with a trademark darting run.

Osasuna were aggrieved that goal was allowed to stand after Alexis had appeared to be offside when he received the ball earlier in the move, and the home side's veteran midfielder Patxi Punal was handed his marching orders for taking his protests too far.

Barca quickly made the most of their man advantage as, in the 80th minute, summer signing Jordi Alba picked out Messi near the edge of the area and the Argentina superstar rolled a low shot into the far corner for the match-winner.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)