Torres and Neville Heroes in Barcelona
It was one of the most incredible nights in Champions League history, as a ten-man Chelsea eliminated current holders Barcelona at the Nou Camp. The game had everything from a red card to a missed penalty, but Chelsea defended like heroes against a largely unimpressive Barcelona side, to leave Fernando Torres and Gary Neville with the last word...
On a night of heroes (barring John Terry), Fernando Torres rose to the occasion to calmly round the keeper and score the goal which clinched Chelsea's place in the Champions League final. A second half substitute, Fernando Torres had been having a bit of a shocker up until the 91st minute, but then he wrote himself in the Chelsea history books and scored the goal which sends Chelsea to Munich on May 19, and must surely kick-start his Chelsea career.
The stats over the two legs tell the story, Chelsea had four shots on goal and scored three, and their possession in the second half at the Nou Camp was less than 20%. But despite Barcelona being camped in Chelsea's half, and with all their world-class attacking talent they were still unable to break through a spirited Chelsea defence.
The stats show Barcelona dominated the games, but stats don't win you games - it's goals that count. Barcelona over the two legs were wasteful, and in the second half chose to pass the ball on the edge of the area, rather than shoot from long range which could have led to a goalkeeper error or a corner.
But Chelsea hung on and kept their shape, creating a solid wall of white Barcelona just couldn't break through. Fernando Torres' goal was the icing on the cake, which rounded off a good night for Nike football boots.
In the first half it was CTR360 wearers Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta who found the back of the net to put Barcelona in control, before Nike Tiempo wearer Ramires scored a sensational goal with a lifted finish to give Chelsea the advantage. Then in the final minutes Fernando Torres completed a goal-scoring night for Nike footwear, with his 91st minute goal from Nike T90 Laser IV football boots.
