Barcelona give Man United a lesson – Wembley European Cup finals no.6
Wembley hosts its seventh European Cup/Champions League final today when Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund contest the 2013 showpiece event, so talkSPORT is looking back at the previous six games staged at the legendary home of English football, and what a week it has been.
First, Milan's first ever European Cup, then, Manchester United's own, followed by Ajax breaking their own European Cup duck. On Thursday, we reflected on Liverpool's success in defending the trophy, and on Friday, we recalled how Johan Cruyff's Barcelona became the Dream Team at Wembley.
Today, it's the Catalans again, when in 2011, Pep Guardiola managed to do what Cruyff could not, lifting a second Champions League trophy with the Blaugrana as a coach. Naturally, it happened at Wembley.
The date: 28 May, 2011
The teams: Barcelona and Manchester United
The result: Barcelona won 3-1
The significance: The first Champions League final to be played in the new Wembley. A fourth European Cup triumph for the Catalans, Pep Guardiola's second as a manager at the Camp Nou and third with the club. It also marked the second time that Barcelona defeated United in a Champions League final under their former number 4.
2010 was a year of disappointment for Barcelona, after Jose Mourinho's Inter eliminated them from the Champions League in the semi-final stage. The previous season, the Catalans had destroyed all in their paths, lifting six trophies, including the Champions League in Pep Guardiola's debut season as first team manager, but Mourinho made sure they couldn't defend the cup with the big ears.
In the summer, Barcelona worked to remedy that, bringing in Spain's star striker David Villa and shipping out Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and though they looked set on achieving something special again, they were rocked after Christmas when Eric Abidal was diagnosed with cancer in his liver.
The Catalans faced the challenge of an El Clasico semi-final in the Champions League, with the first leg ending 0-0, but Lionel Messi's brilliant brace ensured they were going to Wembley for the final, a hallowed place after Cruyff's team lifted their first European Cup in the old ground. Their opponents for the 2011 final? A rematch of 2009. Manchester United.
Injury worries rattled Barcelona in the weeks that followed, but, incredibly, Abidal made a return to the team, playing the entire 90 minutes of a game for the first time since his surgery. Barcelona went ahead early on; Xavi's pinpoint pass feeding Pedro, who fired past Edwin van der Sar. Unlike 2009 however, United managed to respond. Wayne Rooney played a neat one-two with Ryan Giggs to equalise, and the scores remained level at half time.
In the second-half there was only one team in it. Barcelona dominated possession, and dominated the attempts on goal, with nine on target compared to none from the Red Devils following the break. Messi put them ahead from distance in the 54th minute, and David Villa followed that with a sublime curled effort in the 69th.
The Blaugrana had done it, their fourth European Cup successfully claimed. The cherry on the cake came when Carles Puyol handed Eric Abidal the captain's armband, and the Frenchman lifted the trophy in an emotional display of unity. Més que un club indeed.