Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi scored the goals as Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final in Rome.
Cameroon international Eto’o struck after ten minutes and Messi added the second with a superb header 20 minutes from time.
After making a superb start United can have no complaints as they failed to find their usual fluency against the Spanish champions who lifted the trophy for the third time in their history.
Andres Iniesta gets past Anderson too easily and finds Eto’o who cuts inside Nemanja Vidic and toe pokes the ball under Edwin van der Sar from close range.
The Catalan club score with their first real attack after United started in electric fashion.
After just two minutes Cristiano Ronaldo’s 30-yard effort bounced viciously in front of Victor Valdes who spilled the effort and it required a superb block by former United defender Gerard Pique to deny Park Ji-sung a tap-in.
The Portuguese then volleyed the dropping ball just wide of the far post from 16 yards before United fell behind.
Ronaldo looked to get his side back on terms and his run through on goal was ended by a Pique bodycheck for which he received a yellow card.
But Barca then began to boss the game and Lionel Messi came to the fore. He pulled the trigger from 25 yards and a scorching drive just missed the top corner with van der Sar beaten.
Xavi then curled an effort just over the top corner, the 11th effort on goal in the opening half-hour, eight of which came from United but only one was on target.
United had an escape on the brink of half-time when van der Sar spilled a low cross from Messi but there was no-one at the near post to capitalise and Sir Alex Ferguson gambled at half-time by replacing the ineffective Anderson with Carlos Tevez.
But Barca relished in the extra space and twice came close to extending their advantage.
Iniesta sent Thierry Henry away down the left in a big hole vacated by John O’Shea and he turned Rio Ferdinand inside out before seeing his shot saved by the legs of Van der Sar.
Then a surging run from Iniesta was ended a yard outside the penalty area by Vidic and Xavi curled the resulting free-kick around the wall and against the post.
United did regroup however and Ronaldo swung in a cross from the right which Toure completely only for the ball to bounce off the hard pitch and over the head of the unmarked Park six yards out.
Park was then replaced by Dimitar Berbatov as Ferguson threw caution to the wind with a 4-2-4 formation only to concede a second.
Patrice Evra hooked his clearance aimlessly to Xavi who picks out an unmarked Messi and the little Argentine climbed high and guides the ball past van der Sar and into the far corner for his first goal against an English club.
United chould have pulled a goal back almost immediately as the ball fells to Ronaldo at the far post only for Valdes to smother his shot.
Scholes replaced Giggs and he was booked along with Ronaldo as United chased the game with the Premier League champions almost conceding a third when Carles Puyol’s thumping header was saved by Van der Sar before the advancing Dutchman saved a shot from the captain after the best move of the match.
Berbatov headed over from close range late on but there was no way back for United who in a season that for so long promised four trophies ended with only the Premier League title for their efforts.
Highlights
1-0 S.Eto’o 10′
2-0 L.Messi 70′
Celebrations
Posted maggio 27, 2009 by admin under Champions League