Barcelona v Man Utd live!

27 May 2009 16:16
82 United have the ball but they are being put under pressure by Barcelona at every opportunity. The Catalan outfit haven't just impressed in attack as they have defended with great tenacity throughout the whole night.[LNB]81 Scholes caught Busquets with an awful challenge in the build up to Iniesta's effort. The referee waved play on but rightly books the United midfielder when the move comes to an end.[LNB]80 Iniesta cuts in from the left flank and sees his powerful effort saved by van der Sar at his near post.[LNB]79 Ronaldo fails to keep van der Sar's long ball in play on the left flank. United are starting to run out of ideas.[LNB]78 Ronaldo is booked by the referee after bundling Puyol to the ground on the left flank. The United winger is starting to lose his cool.[LNB]77 Eto'o is caught offside as he looks to reach Yaya Toure's long ball forward. The Barcelona fans are in great voice as their side continue to shine.[LNB]76 Barcelona deserve to be leading this match 2-0. Xavi, Messi, Iniesta and Pique have all been superb tonight as the Catalan outfit show just why they are so highly rated.[LNB]75 United make their final change with Scholes taking the place of Giggs.[LNB]74 Xavi's free-kick from the right is headed straight at van der Sar by Puyol from close-range. That was a great chance for Barcelona.[LNB]73 United are preparing to bring on Paul Scholes as Ronaldo concedes a free-kick on the right flank.[LNB]72 United work the ball from the left flank to Ronaldo at the far post of the Barcelona goal. The winger sees his effort superbly blocked by Valdes as this continues to be a frustrating night for the Premier League champions. The resulting corner is wasted.[LNB]71 Barcelona make their first change with Seydou Keita replacing Henry.[LNB]70 GOAL MESSI! Xavi's cross from the right is headed into the top left hand corner of the United goal by Messi's looping header from the eight yards. The Barcelona playmaker sent his effort straight over the head of van der Sar to leave the keeper with no chance. Barcelona lead 2-0.[LNB]70 Giggs' corner from the right is cleared from danger by a strong header from Pique. The Barcelona defender has impressed against his former club tonight.[LNB]69 Pique concedes a corner as Rooney looks to break forward,[LNB]68 Puyol's clearance is deflected out of play for a Barcelona throw-in by Ronaldo. More of this match is starting to take place in the Catalan outfit's half.[LNB]67 The referee, who has done very well so far tonight, does well to calm everyone tonight after Ronaldo and Puyol's aerial challenge. Play continues with a spell of Barcelona possession.[LNB]66 United make their expected change with Berbatov taking the place of Park.[LNB]66 Henry makes space inside the United box and sees his low effort easily saved by van der Sar.[LNB]65 Iniesta falls to the ground on the edge of the United box but the referee rightly waves play.[LNB]64 It looks like Dimitar Berbatov is preparing to come on for United. No word yet on who he will replace.[LNB]63 Giggs' corner from the right evades everyone in the Barcelona box and the ball races out of play for a throw-in. United need to improve the quality of their set-pieces.[LNB]62 Barcelona keep the ball in midfield as they look to halt United's recent attacks. The Catalan outfit still look comfortable but they are definitely vulnerable down the flanks.[LNB]61 Carrick overhits his attempted through ball to Rooney and the United striker is unable to prevent a Barcelona goal-kick.[LNB]60 O'Shea wins a free-kick on the United box as he is pushed to the ground by Henry. The Premier League champions are starting to impress again.[LNB]59 Ronaldo is again caught offside as he looks to find space on the left flank. United are starting to pose more questions to the Barcelona defence.[LNB]58 Ronaldo is caught offside as he looks to reach Ferdinand's long ball. The United winger has been quiet since his impressive start to the game.[LNB]57 United may find some joy against Puyol and Sylvinho on the flanks. They have yet to be consistently caused problems tonight by Rooney or Park.[LNB]56 Rooney's bouncing cross from the left narrowly evades an attempted clearance from Yaya Toure and Park at the far post. United have enjoyed a better last few minutes.[LNB]56 Puyol is forced to clear the ball out of play as he is put under pressure by Park on the left flank.[LNB]55 A rare period of United pressure ends as Yaya Toure clears Carrick's attempted through ball away from Rooney.[LNB]54 Barcelona have been superb ever since Eto'o opener. They have defended well by giving United's attack no time on the ball in the final third.[LNB]53 Xavi's free-kick strikes the left hand post of van der Sar's goal and bounces away from danger. This is a worrying time for United.[LNB]52 Iniesta's superb forward run is ended by a clumsy challenge from Tevez on the edge of the box. The Barcelona midfielder has once again been fantastic tonight as his side win a free-kick.[LNB]51 Messi appeals for a penalty as he tumbles in the United box but the referee waves play on. Barcelona are in top gear at the moment.[LNB]50 Henry's powerful cross from the left is gathered by van der Sar just before Eto'o can get to the ball. Barcelona are in control as they find space in the final third.[LNB]49 Barcelona are still in charge of the ball. Henry is finding space on the left flank as O'Shea continues his tough night.[LNB]48 Henry cuts in from the left and works the ball away from Ferdinand to leave the defender on the floor. His resulting shot is easily blocked by van der Sar as Barcelona start this half on the front foot.[LNB]47 Barcelona are keeping the ball with ease. Henry cuts in from the left and sees his cross headed clear by Vidic.[LNB]46 The second half is under way and United are keeping the ball at the back early on.[LNB] The change is confirmed as Tevez replaces Anderson. Will this be the striker's last game for United?[LNB] It looks like Tevez will replace Anderson. The teams are back on the pitch as we near the start of the second half.[LNB] Andrew in Canada wants Park and Giggs to be substituted at the break. Who thinks United can still win this match? Let me know by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Ryan in Northern Ireland wants to see Tevez introduced for the second half. How can Sir Alex Ferguson get United back into this game? Let me know by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Barcelona are now 8/15 to win this match with Sky Bet, United are 11/2 and you can back the draw after 90 minutes at 12/5. Ronaldo is 15/2 to bag the next goal and Messi can be backed at 10/1.[LNB] What are your thoughts on the first half action. Should United now bring on Tevez, Berbatov or both? Can Ronaldo outshine Messi after the break? Will Barcelona be able to continue their great performance in the second period? Let me know your views by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB]HT The referee blows his whistle for half-time. Barcelona have been the better side and deserve their 1-0 lead. Messi and Xavi have been magnificent so far to leave Sir Alex Ferguson with plenty of work to do at the break.[LNB]45 There will be one minute of additiona time.[LNB]44 Messi storms into the United box and sees his low cross from left fumbled by van der Sar. United clear the loose ball. The Barcelona playmaker is in great form tonight.[LNB]43 Messi and Iniesta fail to work a neat one-two as van der Sar is able to gather the ball. Not long until half-time as Barcelona continue to dominate this match after Eto'o's opener.[LNB]42 Messi dances towards the United box and works the ball to Eto'o. Park does well to put the striker under pressure and win possession. Messi has been a joy to watch at times during this half.[LNB]41 Park slips on the edge of the Barcelona box and allows Xavi to win the ball. That was great defence from the Catalan outfit.[LNB]40 Rooney is caught offside on the edge of the Barcelona box as frustration grows for United.[LNB]39 Messi's attempted through ball to Henry is cleared from danger by a flick from Ferdinand. The England defender has been more impressive than Vidic so far tonight.[LNB]38 Busquets' looping header drifts through to van der Sar as Henry is offside and unable to win possession.[LNB]37 Puyol's low cross from the right is turned away from the United box by Ferdinand. United have been on the back foot since Eto'o gave Barcelona the lead and they may need to make some changes at the break.[LNB]36 Iniesta's corner from the left narrowly evades Pique as the defender nips in ahead of Pique. It has been a tough night for United's defence so far.[LNB]35 Barcelona work a short corner from the right and force Carrick to head the ball behind for another flag-kick.[LNB]34 Henry wins a throw-in on the left flank as he forces O'Shea to knock the ball out of play.[LNB]33 Xavi continues to be the main man for Barcelona. He is pulling the strings in their midfield as United are forced to get men behind the ball.[LNB]32 Rooney and Evra fail to work a one-two as Barcelona clear the ball away with ease from their penalty area.[LNB]31 Another spell of Barcelona possession at the moment. United have to get hold of the ball in order to stop the Spanish champions' dominance.[LNB]30 Barcelona are on the front foot. Xavi and Messi are looking dangerous as United struggle to break out of their own half.[LNB]29 Van der Sar is forced to knock the ball away from danger as Ferdinand sends a poor header back to the United goalkeeper. Barcelona are on top.[LNB]28 Messi wins a free-kick as he is knocked to the ground by three United players. The playmaker gets back up as his influence on this match starts to grow.[LNB]27 Xavi sends the free-kick narrowly wide of van der Sar's right hand post. The goalkeeper had the effort covered.[LNB]26 Barcelona win a free-kick in a decent position on the edge of the United box as Iniesta is bundled to the ground by Anderson.[LNB]25 Barcelona are continuing to keep possession as Iniesta slides the ball to Henry on the left flank. The striker keeps hold of the ball as his side continue to impress.[LNB]24 It is Barcelona's turn to keep control of the ball for a sustained spell. Xavi is the man who is making the Catalan outfit tick so far.[LNB]23 Giggs' corner from the left is headed well over the top of the bar by Ronaldo from 12 yards. You cannot keep the United winger out of the action at the moment.[LNB]22 We have a break in play as Valdes receives treatment from the Barcelona physio. The goalkeeper will be fine to continue but Puyol will take the goal-kick.[LNB]21 Ronaldo makes space on the edge of the Barcelona box and sends a weak effort wide of the left hand post. The United winger is creating plenty of chances for himself.[LNB]20 Valdes races out of his goal and wins the ball from Park with a strong challenge on the left hand side of his box. The Barcelona goalkeeper could have a future as a defender.[LNB]19 Lionel Messi cuts in from the left flank and sends a rasping effort high over the top of the bar. The Barcelona playmaker is starting to find some space in the final third.[LNB]18 Sylvinho fails to keep the ball in play on the left flank as he heads the ball out of play. This match has been very easy to watch so far with both sides impressing in possession.[LNB]17 Giggs takes the free-kick and he sends his effort way over the top of the bar from 20 yards. Wasted chance for United.[LNB]16 Ronaldo is blocked by Pique on the edge of the Barcelona box and the defender is rightly booked. Free-kick to United.[LNB]15 Both sides are happy to keep the ball for long spells. Barcelona currently have possession with Xavi in charge of the move.[LNB]14 Giggs is caught offside as he looks to break behind the Barcelona defence on the left flank.[LNB]13 United are now keeping the ball at the back as Barcelona get plenty of men behind the ball. This match is living up to the hype so far as the two best sides in Europe clash.[LNB]12 Barcelona work a short corner to the edge of the United box but they waste two chances to test van der Sar and the danger is cleared. Pep Guardiola's side are now on the front foot.[LNB]11 Barcelona celebrate with Eto'o. They have started this match slowly but they hold a 1-0 lead.[LNB]10 GOAL ETO'O! Barcelona break forward at speed and work the ball to Samuel Eto'o on the right hand side of the United box. The striker takes the ball away from Nemanja Vidic and sends a driven effort under the body of Edwin van der Sar. The Spanish champions lead 1-0.[LNB]9 Ronaldo turns on the left hand side of the Barcelona box and sends a driven half-volley narrowly wide of Valdes' far post. The Spanish champions are having a tough night so far.[LNB]8 United continue to dominate possession. They are doing well at the moment.[LNB]7 Ronaldo turns 40 yards from the Barcelona goal and sends a powerful effort narrowly wide of the left hand post. Lively start from the United winger.[LNB]6 Rooney fails to find Giggs on the left flank as he sends the ball racing out of play for a goal-kick. United have been the better side so far.[LNB]5 Valdes sends a poor clearance out of play for a United throw-in. It has been a nervous start for the Barcelona goalkeeper.[LNB]4 Thierry Henry and Sylvinho fail to work a neat one-two on the left flank and United are able to win possession. Lively start to this match.[LNB]3 The corner finds Wayne Rooney on the edge of the Barcelona box and he sends a driven effort wide of Valdes' goal.[LNB]2 Ronaldo's powerful free-kick from 25 yards is parried by Valdes to the feet of Park. Pique does superbly to knock the ball behind for a corner as the United midfielder looks to shoot.[LNB]1 Anderson wins a free-kick for United in a shooting position as he is blocked by Yaya Toure.[LNB]1 The match is under way as Barcelona get the match under way. Victor Valdes quickly sends a sloppy pass out of play for a United throw-in.[LNB] Captains Carles Puyol and Ryan Giggs both shakes hands. We are only seconds away from kick-off.[LNB] The final views ahead of kick-off are from August in Jordan and Nick in New York. August thinks Barca will win 2-0 and Nick is predicting a 2-1 United victory. That reflects the split in opinions you hace been e-mailing in so far tonight. This could be a great game.[LNB] The players are now on the pitch as Andrea Bocelli sings the Champions League anthem.[LNB] The Champions League trophy is now being carried on to the pitch by a lady dressed entirely in gold as popular opera singer Andrea Bocelli gives a very impressive performance. The two sides are in the tunnel.[LNB] Italian Prime Minister and AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has now taken his place in the stands as the opening ceremony continues. There are dancers in red and green outfits who are holding shields. They all appear to be having a good time.[LNB] Derings Sigurdsson in Iceland thinks this match will go to extra-time with Iniesta bagging the winner for Barca after 118 minutes. Which players will be able to make the difference tonight? E-mails can be sent to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Prince William is being introduced to UEFA President Michel Platini. Both men look relaxed ahead of kick-off as the pre-match fun and games starts to take place on the pitch.[LNB] Get ready for the opinions of our friends in Easter Island. Tony and his nine-day-old son are both backing a United victory with John O'Shea scoring the winner. Only 15 minutes before kick-off so now is the time to get your e-mails to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Ade in Somerset and Paul Young can only see one winner in tonight's game. They are both backing Man United to claim glory in Rome.[LNB] Douglas has e-mailed in from Antartica but he is representing New Zealand. He is backing Barca to win 2-1 with Messi and Iniesta on target. Send your predictions to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] This could be of interest to many of you. I am sure many of you will remember when United beat Barca 2-1 in the Cup Winners' Cup final in 1991, the only other major final between the sides, but did you know Sergio Busquets' dad Carlos was in goal for the Catalan outfit that night?[LNB] Manchester United would be the first side to win back-to-back European Cups since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990. The atmosphere is building in Rome ahead of kick-off.[LNB] Suhail, a United fan in Kenya, has got in touch and he is backing Barcelona to win 1-0. He thinks Messi will outshine Ronaldo in Rome tonight.[LNB] Here is a challenge for you. We want to hear views from every continent in the world. So this is the call for e-mails from Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. We have already printed views from Stockport, the UAE and Florida so a positive start has been made to the night. Send your opinions to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] This is Barcelona's sixth European Cup final. They have two wins to their name in 1991/92 against Sampdoria and in 2005/06 against Arsenal. Pep Guardiola's side have struck 30 goals in 12 games during this season's competition so they definitely have an attack to keep an eye on.[LNB] Chris Howarth, a United fan in Stockport, thinks United will bag a 4-1 win tonight as Barcelona have a weak defence and goalkeeper. Tim Risbridger in Abu Dhabi, however, is backing Barca to win on penalties. Let me know your predictions and views on the two sides by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Here is some information about tonight's teams: Park Ji-sung gets good news as he is named in Manchester United's Champions League final starting line-up to face Barcelona in Rome. The South Korean did not even make the substitutes' bench in Moscow 12 months ago but Sir Alex Ferguson decides his energy is required against the Catalans as they attempt to become the first team to successfully defend the European Cup since the Champions League era began in 1992. It means Cristiano Ronaldo is handed a main striking role while, as expected, Rio Ferdinand is also in the United side after a three week absence with a calf strain. Barcelona have some good news on the injury front, with Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta recovering from knee and thigh problems respectively. However, as full-backs Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves are both suspended and Rafael Marquez is ruled out with a knee injury, former United defender Gerard Pique is left as the only regular member of Pep Guardiola's back four able to take part.[LNB] The referee for tonight's match is Massimo Busacca from Switzerland. The linesman are both Swiss and go by the names of Matthias Arnet and Francesco Buragina. The fourth official Claudio Circhetta completes the Swiss connection.[LNB] The subs for Barca are: Pinto, Caceres, Gudjohnsen, Krkic, Keita, Rodriguez and Muniesa.[LNB] The Barcelona side is: Victor Valdes, Puyol, Sylvinho, Yaya Toure, Pique, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Henry and Eto'o.[LNB] The subs for United tonight are: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Nani, Scholes, Rafael, Evans and Tevez. Will this be Tevez's last appearance for the Red Devils?[LNB] Chris, a Jamaican in Florida, sends in the first e-mail of the night and he is backing United to win 3-1 with Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez all scoring. Join the pre-game fun by getting to touch with us at nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] The Man United team is in and it is the side that has been widely tipped to line up. Van der Sar, O'Shea, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Park, Anderson, Giggs, Carrick, Rooney, Ronaldo. Let me know your thoughts on the team by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Opera singer Andrea Bocelli currently has his hands on the Champions League trophy. No word on if he is backing United or Barca for glory tonight.[LNB] Our friends at Sky Bet have plenty of markets for tonight's match. Barcelona can be backed at 9/5 for victory, Manchester United are 6/4 and you can back the draw after 90 minutes at 9/4. For those of you who fancy Anderson to grab his first goal for the Red Devils, he can be backed at 12/1 to score anytime. What a night it would be to open his goalscoring account![LNB] Welcome to our live coverage of the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome. We should be set for a very entertaining match tonight as the two best sides in Europe play for the continent's number one prize. Let me know your thoughts ahead of kick-off on anything to do with tonight's match, Messi v Ronaldo. Ferguson v Guardiola and, of course, United v Barca. Send your e-mails to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports