Photo by Nichols Macgowan Barcelona striker Lionel Messi

The match began well for United, who dominated the first ten minutes of a match which looked as if it was going to live up to its promise of goals. Ronaldo gave an early warning to the Catalans with a long-range shot which, although not particularly dangerous, showed the aggressive intentions of the Mancunians. He followed it up with a close-range shot which rattled the Barcelona defence. Just as the match seemed to be settling into a certain logic however, an intelligent breakaway attack by Barcelona led to the ball falling into the possession of Eto'o, who doesn't have the reputation of missing clear chances. He didn't do so here either, putting the ball away into the net for a goal which stunned United and set the scene for a scintillating match in which United would be forced to attack. That which they did for the next fifteen minutes but, despite dominating possession, they couldn't transform it into any really clear cut chances, Barcelona seeming happy to sit back and absorb what was, to be honest, a fairly disorganised effort to equalise. The nearest they got was when the Barcelona defender Piqué obstructed Ronaldo on the edge of the penalty area, but the resulting free kick flew over the bar. Messi reminded everyone of his dangerous potential when he almost put Barcelona ahead 2-0 with yet another breakaway attack. From then on Barcelona began to pick up their game and began to string together some lovely flowing moves, often lasting 20 passes, which began to threaten an unusually hesitant United defence. That pressure almost paid off when on the second of two consecutive corners, Piqué found himself just inches away from heading Barcelona into a substantial half-time lead. As if encouraged by this, Barcelona turned up the heat even more, and the five minutes before the pause were a living nightmare for United, who were extremely lucky not to be punished more severely for their sluggish marking. The second half began as the first half finished, Barcelona crucifying United with a withering wave of attacks in the first five minutes which began to destroy the English side's confidence. Henri was inches away after a fabulous left-wing dribble which left three defenders in his wake before his shot hit the post, a defensive mix-up nearly led to another goal, a valid-looking penalty claim was turned down and, after a foul on Iniesta in the 51st minute, the free kick whizzed just wide with the goalkeeper completely beaten. United held out courageously though, until the inevitable happened. A wonderful and elegantly mounted attack by the Barcelona midfield, with more and more room to move in, left the marauding and devastating Messi with the kind of chance he relishes. He relished his celebration too. 2-0. United's game fell away and, although the Spaniards continued to mount dangerous moves, the match was transformed into a predictable scenario in which United tried frenetically and ineffectually to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and Barcelona played the containing game. The English side's frustration was amply demonstrated by the 77th minute booking of a now-nonexistent Ronaldo for a pointless and petulant obstruction. The end result was inevitable: Barcelona even allowed themselves to substitute Thierry Henri 10 minutes before the end. A well-deserved victory for Barcelona, but regrets must be bitter in Manchester this evening.