This was not a match for the faint-hearted. The excitement and anticipation before it, the jubilant celebrations after
Scholes' 14th-minute strike, and the fretting and nail-biting that accompanied the tense final few moments (six minutes of injury-time included). But it was also an excellent semi-final tie, full of attacking endeavor, and no shortage of drama.
The Reds were dealt a real blow before the game when
Nemanja Vidic and
Wayne Rooney were ruled out. Vidic hadn’t recovered after losing a tooth in a challenge with Didier Drogba against
Chelsea on Saturday, while a persistent hip problem denied Rooney his part.
Semi-finals can be occasions that demand supporters are on their game as much as players, and the scarf-swinging Red Army didn't let anyone down. The fans cheered each passing move, every tackle won, even throw-ins as if it were a winning goal. With such an occasion, it was no surprise that the first 10 minutes were fraught and frenetic. But as the dust settled,
Barcelona did as the European away manual would dictate: they attempted to keep the ball, silence the support and frustrate United’s players.
The Reds, seeking to use
Ronaldo as an outlet on the break, were subsequently sure not to sit on the lead. After 25 minutes, the Portuguese winger’s pull-back found Ji-sung Park on the edge of the box, and his side-footed shot was desperately close to doubling the lead. At the other end, Deco twice went close from long-range, while Nani headed agonizingly wide from Park’s pinpoint cross. The tie ebbed and flowed in a first-half that highlighted two clubs built to attack.
The six minutes of injury time, which followed a delay after Patrice Evra suffered a head wound, seemed like an age. But United defended bravely, valiantly, and finally held out.
The Reds have had more than a fair share of semi-final disappointments under Sir Alex. But this wasn't to be one of them, as the fans emptied the stadium singing: "Follow, follow, follow... United are going to
Moscow."
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