/ 9 March 2005

Man United Champions League dream ends

A controversial header late in the second half by Chelsea captain John Terry gave the Premiership leaders a remarkable 4-2 win over Barcelona and a 5-4 aggregate victory in their Champions League first knockout-round clash on Tuesday.

It kept their charismatic manager Jose Mourinho on course for a second successive Champions League title after leading FC Porto to it last season.

Elsewhere, the dream of Sir Alex Ferguson to give Manchester United a second Champions League title under his stewardship ended — perhaps for good — as AC Milan beat them 1-0 in the San Siro to win 2-0 on aggregate, with on-loan Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo heading a great winner to add to the one he got in the first leg.

French champions Lyon simply were irresistible at home to Werder Bremen thrashing them 7-2, 10-2 on aggregate, with former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord grabbing a hat-trick and Ghanaian midfielder Mickael Essien scoring two.

Chelsea put aside a few nervous opening minutes to stun Barcelona with three goals in 11 minutes and seemingly turn the tie irrevocably their way.

First, Eidur Gudjohnsen slotted home for only his second goal in seven Champions League appearances — but Chelsea’s 50th in the competition — after a wonderful ball by Joe Cole, and then Lampard pounced, having missed a sitter minutes earlier.

The England international midfielder was on hand after Cole’s shot had taken a wicked deflection, with Victor Valdes making a valiant one-handed save as he went the wrong way but Lampard was close by to knock in the rebound.

The Catalan side were then knocked totally off balance as Cole’s ball released Duff and he ran in to slot through Valdes’s legs.

However, the London side sat back and paid for it as Paolo Ferreira’s hand ball gave Barcelona a penalty that Ronaldinho converted to make Barca the first team since League Two side Scunthorpe United in January to score at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian produced a moment of pure magic to make it 3-2 as he hit the ball with the outside of his right foot from the semi-circle outside the box, completely wrongfooting Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.

Chelsea delivered the killer blow in the 76th minute when Terry, leading by example as ever, headed home from a corner, though the visitors surrounded referee Pierluigi Collina protesting that Ricardo Carvalho had impeded the ‘keeper.

”That performance is up there with the best of them,” said Terry.

”We started brilliantly — it was like a runaway train — and pressed them hard because we had been told that they didn’t like it and it showed.

”However, by half-time it wasn’t looking great. Nevertheless, we came out fighting and pressed them once again, which put them off their rhythm.

”To beat a great side like that says it all about the guts and quality of our team,” purred Terry.

Mourinho, a former assistant coach at Barcelona, was jubilant.

”We are in the quarterfinals and we have beaten the team that is — according to the press — the best in the world.

”Any result that put us through would have been fantastic. The football was magnificent. But over the 180 minutes, I think the best team goes through,” said Mourinho.

His Barcelona counterpart, Frank Rijkaard, was disappointed and more so because he hadn’t put one over Mourinho, who had claimed the Dutch coach had allowed first-leg referee Anders Frisk into their dressing room at half-time of that match.

”You always feel bitter after a loss but maybe I feel a bit more bitter because of all the lies that were told before this game. I didn’t like that.

”I suppose all the stuff surrounding the game wants you to win a bit more, and makes it hurt a bit more when you lose.”

United went closest through Ryan Giggs in the first half as his shot hit the post, while in a tightly fought and technical affair AC Milan’s Brazilian star Kaka hit the bar with a fierce effort.

Milan, though, killed off United midway through the second half as Cafu’s cross was met by Crespo’s brilliant header that went across Tim Howard and in at the far post.

Ferguson, who has said the club needs to win a second Champions League if they are to be regarded a great side, was magnanimous in defeat.

”We needed to score the first goal, we needed that break. But that’s how games go sometimes — there’s a thin line between success and failure,” said the Scotsman, who is realistically looking at solely the FA Cup as a consolation prize this season.

”It was a game of high quality, played in the right spirit and all credit to Milan — they played with great professionalism,” he added. ”What they have is something special — with that level of professionalism and spirit they can win the competition.”

Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf would beg to differ with him and understandably after seeing his side ship seven goals to Lyon and end up on the wrong end of a 10-2 aggregate thrashing.

”If they continue on this trajectory, then I cannot rule anything out for them,” said Schaaf.

Lyon remain the dark horses but on Tuesday it was Chelsea who stole the thunder and placed them firmly as favourites for a competition quickly becoming Mourinho’s private fiefdom. — Sapa-AFP