Chelsea v Barcelona: Gerard Pique admits referee got it wrong

07 May 2009 09:00
Chelsea were left frustrated after Andres Iniesta's last-gasp equaliser sent Barcelona through on away goals and set up a clash in Rome against Manchester United, where Pique was until last summer before he moved to the Nou Camp. [LNB]And a sense of injustice pervaded at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea had four good claims for a penalty turned down, the clearest cut Pique's handball. [LNB] Related ArticlesChelsea vent fury at refereeInjustice will sicken ChelseaChelsea v Barcelona: Man markingChelsea v Barcelona: ReactionChelsea v BarcelonaRef's semi-final meltdown'To be fair, it touched my hands but it was not deliberate,' Pique said. [LNB]'The referee can decide what he wants and you have to respect the decisions. Sometimes they are wrong. [LNB]'I'm just happy that I'm through to the final.' [LNB]Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba also claimed they were fouled in the area, while Samuel Eto'o also handled but referee Tom Henning Ovrebo did not point to the spot. [LNB]It meant Chelsea headed into stoppage-time with just Michael Essien on the scoresheet before Iniesta found the top corner to spark manic celebrations in the away section. [LNB]'There are no words to describe how happy the team is,' Pique said. [LNB]'A team like this, trying to attack all the time, cannot go 180 minutes without scoring. It was in the last minute but it was enough.' [LNB]With Chelsea leading, Barcelona had Eric Abidal sent-off for a professional foul on Nicolas Anelka and manager Pep Guardiola was surprised that opposite number Guus Hiddink did not then try to kill the game with a second. [LNB]'They created chances on the counter-attack but they were conservative,' he said. [LNB]'We showed a lot of strength and bravery and hung on. [LNB]'It was difficult to play against Chelsea 11 against 11 and we played 11 against 10. I can understand the feeling of Chelsea because they had Rome there and in the last minute we can take it.' [LNB]Barcelona will be without Dani Alves for the final after the fullback picked up a yellow card to trigger a suspension. [LNB]'He was happy that he played all the games this season,' Guardiola added. [LNB]Pique, meanwhile, is left relishing the prospect of a Champions League final against his former club. [LNB]'It means a lot,' Pique said. 'It will be special because I had three good years there, maybe I didn't play a lot but they were important years for me.'[LNB] 

Source: Telegraph