Barcelona vs. Chelsea – Football Match Summary – April 24, 2012
2011-12 UEFA Champions League, Semi-finals
FT
Agg. 2–3
2nd Leg – Chelsea win 3-2 on aggregate
2nd Leg – Chelsea win 3-2 on aggregate
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KO
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Kickoff
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12
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On: José Bosingwa|Off: Gary Cahill
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26
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On: Dani Alves|Off: Gerard Piqué
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35
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Sergio Busquets Goal
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43
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Andrés Iniesta Goal
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45+1
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Ramires Goal
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HT
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Halftime
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49
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Lionel Messi Penalty – Hit Woodwork
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58
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On: Salomon Kalou|Off: Juan Mata
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67
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On: Cristian Tello|Off: Isaac Cuenca
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74
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On: Seydou Keita|Off: Cesc Fàbregas
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80
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On: Fernando Torres|Off: Didier Drogba
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90+1
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Fernando Torres Goal
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FT
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End Regular Time
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Barcelona
BAR
Chelsea
CHE
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Barcelona vs.
Chelsea: Fernando Torres Redeems Himself in Miracle at Camp Nou | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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Revenge is a dish best served cold. And it’s even better when served on a £50 million platter. Let us forget about the Miracle at Istanbul for a moment—today, we witnessed perhaps one of the greatest nights for English football as a whole.
The gods of football had indeed conjured up a perfect script. From two goals and a man down, Chelsea, against all odds, came back against mighty Barcelona, the perennial juggernauts of European football, to seal their place into the annals of football history.
The first goal for Barcelona came from the most unlikely of sources—Sergio Busquets. And immediately, John Terry, Chelsea’s Mr. Dependable, in an act, which can only be ascribed to madness, sunk his knee into Alexis Sanchez’s back that resulted in an immediate dismissal.
No sooner had Terry departed, Lionel Messi put a lovely through ball to Andres Iniesta, who once again seemed destined to break Chelsea’s hearts.
And it had looked as if he had accomplished just that, as he coolly shot the ball into the bottom right corner.
Barcelona 2-0 Chelsea.
The second goal, coupled with the sending off of John Terry, looked to be the straw that broke Chelsea’s back. They looked downtrodden, utterly dismayed by the events that had just transpired.
However, one man refused to give up. And that was Ashley Cole. For a period of time after Iniesta’s goal, no Chelsea player besides Cole seemed to have the desire to continue anymore. All expected an onslaught. And when things looked most bleak for Chelsea, the rays of hope shone upon them.
Shortly before the half, Ramires—perhaps the least Brazilian of all Brazilians—sublimely chipped a Joga Bonitasque ball over Victor Valdes. Hope remained.
Jasper Juinen/Getty Images
Chelsea retired to the dressing room with the upper hand.
The Chelsea side, after the break, looked more determined than ever.
The Blues were resolute in defending and warded off continuous waves of attacks from the Barcelona players, even without their inspirational captain, Terry, and supreme defender Gary Cahill.
A makeshift defence consisting of Branislav Ivanovic, Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole was all that stood in front of Barcelona and the final.
However, as soon as Lionel Messi’s penalty, courtesy of a Didier Drogba error, hit the post, you could have imagined that it was going to be Chelsea’s night. For the rest of the match, Chelsea simply parked the bus and frustrated Barcelona completely.
Sure, Barcelona had the players, had the added advantage of being a player up, the home-crowd advantage, but Chelsea had a team—a team resolute on getting through, a team determined to exact revenge for 2009. Indeed the sum of parts is not greater than the whole.
Barcelona had no versatility in tactics, and they hoped simply to pass the ball through into the net; even when Dani Alves had tons of space on the right flank, virtually no crosses came to the center.
And yet it was not over. The anguish that loomed over Chelsea fans, nay football fans all over, was extraordinary. Even though Chelsea were minutes away from victory, no one wanted to celebrate yet, as Iniesta’s goal in 2009 had been too bitter of a memory.
But, Fernando Torres—a man at the butt of all jokes related to football—shone through and redeemed himself. He broke through with exhilarating pace, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home. A comeback for Barcelona had been rendered impossible.
Euphoria all around!
As a Manchester United fan, I extend my congratulations to all the Chelsea fans, and would like to say that you have done English football proud.
Thank you!
After the match Chelsea – Barcelona, I lost the respect of many people – football.ua
The infamous former referee Tom-Henning Evrebe gave the first interview in a long time.
Evrebe is remembered by fans as one of the most controversial referees of the 21st century.
In 2009, the Norwegian referee made several shocking decisions at once in the Champions League match between Chelsea and Barcelona.
After the match at Stamford Bridge, which resulted in England being knocked out of the tournament (1:1 after 0:0 at the Camp Nou), Chelsea accused the refereeing team of not assigning four penalties against the guests in the match.
Fans all over the world remember Evrebe and his scandalous decisions even years later. So what is happening with this referee now and what does he think about that fight nine years later?
– First of all, what is Mr Evrebe doing now?
– I have retired from judging, although sometimes when my colleagues need advice, especially of a psychological nature, I try to help them. But this is not my job.
– Why? Usually, top-class arbitrators continue to work after the end of their refereeing career.
– I’m fine. I work weekends and now I have a lot of free time.
That’s what I wanted.
– Let’s get down to business. Remember May 6, 2009. Are you proud of your arbitrage that day?
– No, of course not. It wasn’t the best day of my career. But this happens with referees, we can make mistakes. Players and coaches make mistakes too. It happens that at a certain moment there may not be enough qualifications, for example. But of course not – I’m not proud of that day.
– Did you watch the match?
– I always watched matches and learned from my mistakes. But I am no longer a referee, so there is no point in watching this game. Nevertheless, this day haunts me, because from time to time journalists remind me of it. Hand on heart, I tell you – I do not mind discussing that match, because this is part of my career.
– Chelsea then required you to award a penalty at four points. What do you think was your biggest mistake?
– Some wrong decisions were made then and everyone evaluates them in their own way.
Again, players and coaches also make mistakes, but nothing like this happens to them. I am proud that I had a long career, I was among the elite referees in Europe and among the best referees in my country. Unfortunately, many people forget about all this and remember me only from that match.
– But it was the Champions League semi-final…
– Yes, that’s understandable. It was also the return match. Everyone was shocked. From this point of view, it is understandable why everyone remembers that evening at Stamford Bridge for so long.
– Do you remember the hands of Piqué and Eto’o ? One of them was almost at the last minute.
– Yes, of course I remember, there really were hands there. However, people are not interested in what I think about this, they care about my decision. And they disagree with him. The debate can go on forever.
– At one point, Ballack tried to prove something to you in a very rude manner.
Why didn’t you remove it?
– After the game it’s easy to say: “Why was this decision made and not this one?”. The main thing is to learn from your mistakes. Then I decided not to remove Ballack, that’s all. It is difficult to explain why such decisions are made on the field and not others. Maybe it’s because of the pressure. Or maybe because Ballack was running behind me and I didn’t see him all the way. There are many reasons for every decision.
– Did you feel pressure?
– I’m used to it.
– Did you shake hands with the Barcelona players after the match?
– I didn’t talk to any player after the game and left the field with dignity and went to the dressing room. I remember that it was difficult for us to get to the hotel, because we were pursued by many disgruntled people. At that moment, we had to think only about our own safety. We even had to change several hotels.
– Do you think that many people rightly characterize the refereeing of that match as the most scandalous in history?
– Maybe I don’t know.
I can’t influence the opinions of others. But I would be interested to ask, for example, Real Madrid fans, what would they think of me if such mistakes were made in favor of their team, and not Barcelona? However, I respect the opinion of all people.
– What do you think about Deniz Aytekin’s referral in the Barcelona vs PSG match?
– I read about it, but I didn’t see the duel. I can’t comment, but I know there were mistakes. As for my Chelsea vs Barcelona match, I agree that I made the wrong decisions, which may have affected the result, but that’s part of the arbitration. We are faced with the task of making a decision in a matter of seconds. And then you rewatch the moment on TV and think: “My God, I made a mistake when awarding a penalty or unfairly sent off a football player.” Such is the reality.
– Wouldn’t this happen with VAR?
– Of course. If it had been possible to use video replay then, I don’t think that today, nine years later, we would be talking about that game.
After all, then I would have made other decisions. Therefore, I believe that arbitration is now more fair. I fully support VAR and have confidence in these technologies.
– But you don’t see yourself as the main culprit behind Chelsea’s relegation?
– It depends which way you look. I was responsible for the decisions that were made and it can be argued that if I had decided otherwise, Chelsea might have reached the final. But we will never know. I made decisions and they weren’t the best. However, it is impossible to say for sure whether Chelsea would have reached the final if I had whistled differently.
– Have you received death threats from Chelsea fans?
– Yes, there was such a thing. But that’s in the past. Somewhere before 2012, this topic was very hot. Then the people calmed down. Of course, after the publication of this interview, many fans will remember me again, but now there is no problem with that. People have the right to do what they want.
Now I am happy and live in Oslo with my family and friends. My mistakes are in the past.
– Is it true that you retired angry at FIFA for not being appointed to the 2010 World Cup matches? Do you think it was a punishment for that very match?
– After the match between Barcelona and Chelsea, I continued refereeing, but then I made the wrong decision about offside in one of the matches … Then they started to put pressure on me again. I was already 44, and at 45 you can’t referee international matches. After that, I only judged in Norway, but soon got injured and my career came to an end. I retired precisely because of the injury, and not after the decision of FIFA.
– So you didn’t think about leaving after that match?
– No, not at all. Although I think that after that day I lost the respect of many people. Despite this, I continued to judge.
– And you have the courage to admit your mistakes.
– You see, when a footballer makes a mistake, almost nothing happens.
In this regard, the mistakes of judges are different. Unfortunately, these mistakes cannot be avoided, and we must accept this. That is my opinion.
And here is the review of the same match.
Translated by Oleksandr Puzik, Football.ua
Do you remember Evrebe ruining the Chelsea Champions League semi-final against Barcelona? The match is 10 years old, we analyzed the referee’s mistakes – did you see that? – Blogs
Anniversary of the main nightmare in his career.
The 2008/09 Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Chelsea was remembered by many not because of the excellent performance of the English or the heroic goal of Iniesta in the last minutes, but thanks to the Norwegian referee Tom-Henning Evrebe. His work at that match is still a subject of controversy.
The fans of both Chelsea and Barça are dissatisfied – everyone dislikes Evrebe (but most of all Michael Ballack). Let’s remember the main controversial decisions of the Scandinavian referee in the most scandalous Champions League semi-final in history.
Malouda penalty
24th minute. The score was 1-0 in favor of Chelsea, Malouda burst into the penalty area from the flank, but was stopped by Dani Alves right on the border. Florent fell already in the penalty area, but the start of the foul was still outside.
What would VAR decide: The beginning of the episode was before the penalty area. Despite the opposition of the defender, Malouda pushed himself into the penalty area, and fell there. A very controversial point. In such a situation, 95% of the judges, even after watching the replay, would have given a free kick, not a penalty. English referee Dermot Gallagher agrees with this decision in an interview with Sky Sports: “It’s 50 to 50, but I will support the referee’s decision.
”
Drogba penalty
26th minute. Drogba falls out one-on-one, Abidal catches up with him, after the fight the striker falls. Valdez takes the ball.
What VAR would decide: Abidal kicked Drogba’s leg twice and grabbed his shirt. On the one hand, Didier let go of the ball away from him and Valdez was already on him. But Didier has no particular reason to fall just like that. This is a penalty. Dermot Gallagher also believes there was a foul.
Foul Yaya Toure
55th minute. Drogba bypasses Yaya Toure and breaks into the penalty area. In the penalty area, Tour knocks the ball out and Drogba falls, after which he asks for a penalty.
What would VAR decide: Toure grabbed Drogba’s hand before the penalty area. It is very difficult to consider whether Yaya played the ball. But here it was more likely to appoint a penalty for delaying Drogba.
Abidal sent off
66th minute.
Anelka has a chance to go one but one, but in the fight against Abidal falls. The referee sends off the defender for a foul of last resort.
What would VAR decide: English referee Dermot Gallagher reviewed the episode several times and said that Anelka rather caught on his leg and fell because of this.
Foul Yaya Toure
79th minute. Anelka again acts with the last defender and bursts into the penalty area, where he falls in the fight with Yaya Toure.
What would VAR decide: Toure missed his shirt, didn’t hold the attacker with his hand, didn’t push (only when Anelka already lost his balance and fell on the lawn). Anelka himself lost his balance in the struggle and fell. No penalty.
Ruka Piqué
82nd minute. Anelka throws the ball into the penalty area, it hits Piqué’s hand and changes direction – no penalty.
What VAR would have decided: Dermot Gallagher didn’t even reconsider this moment – he immediately said that it was a hand.
It is set far from the body, changed the direction of the ball. “Piquet almost stopped the ball, and then turned to the referee with an expression on his face: “What have I done!”, says the English referee.
Ruka Eto’o
90+6 min. after a corner the ball rebounds to Michael Ballack. He hits but hits the shoulder (part of the arm from shoulder girdle to forearm) Samuel Eto’o. Ballack demands a penalty. The referee does not bet.
What VAR would decide: Here we also turn to the authoritative opinion of Dermot Gallagher. “I don’t think it’s a penalty. But if the referee had succumbed to the demands of the Chelsea players, he could have awarded a penalty kick in this situation.” In favor of Evrebe’s decision, only the fact that it was a very strong blow from close range can speak. On the other hand, the player uses his hands to increase the area of the body to block the blow – now they are punished for this.
What Evrebe himself said about the match
In 2016, Tom-Henning gave an interview to Vitaly Suvorov.
Here’s an excerpt from the biggest match of the Norwegian’s career:
– It’s been eight years since that match between Chelsea and Barcelona. Did you have an explanation: what was it?
– Hard to say. It was definitely not the nerves, I was not particularly nervous before the game. I just made some bad decisions. I took the wrong positions. Such things happen. It was a very important match and everything that could go wrong that day went wrong. It just wasn’t my night. Was I scared when Ballack and Drogba jumped around me? No, fear is not the right word. I didn’t really think about anything. I tried to just focus on the match. It is clear that all referees have controversial decisions and points. But the main thing in such cases is to focus on the game and keep working. So I just tried to look and act as calm as possible.
Chelsea thought I missed six or seven penalties. I’m not sure about these numbers, but of course I made a lot of mistakes, there’s no doubt about that.