Last 4: CL Semifinals - Barcelona vs Chelsea

[marcel]

[pabz]

Madrid Cabron, Saluda El Campeon.

[winston]

Madrid Cabron, Saluda El Campeon.

Awesome.

[GriffenSA]

Let's get one thing out of the way here. The referee's performance last night was very poor, just like Wolfgang Stark's performance at Camp Nou last week. Stark's performance didn't get blown up like this because it was the first leg and thus not decisive. If last night's game had been the first leg with the game at Camp Nou a week later ending 0-0 to send us through, nobody would've said a thing. And what's that mess about four or five penalties? Where?

Let's all take a deep breath and break it down:

1) Alves vs. Malouda - Alves fouls Malouda outside of the penalty area, Malouda stays on his feet. They both enter the area, where BOTH start pushing and pulling. MY OPINION: Ovrebo sees the foul outside of the area but decides to let the game continue to see if Chelsea can somehow make use of the advantage. They can't, as Alves and Malouda start wrestling, so he whistles for a free kick.
No pen given - correct decision.

2) Abidal vs. Drogba - Drogba gets on the end of a Lampard chip and enters the penalty area. For a second, Abidal pulls his shirt - a punishable offense -> penalty. Drogba, though, seems unfazed and keeps moving. Then, for some insane reason, he drops like a Christmas tree. MY OPINION: Ovrebo may or may not see the shirt-pulling, but he certainly sees how it doesn't affect Drogba. Had he gone down a second or two earlier, he may have gotten that penalty. He didn't, so in the end it all seemed like a poor attempt at a dive.
No pen given - debatable decision.

3) Toure vs. Drogba - As was the case with Alves and Malouda, both Ivorians are doing some major pulling outside of the area. Then, as Drogba enters the area, he is brought down by a fantastic Yaya tackle. MY OPINION: There are some refs who will whistle for a foul on Drogba, some will whistle for a foul by Drogba. Most refs, however, will wave play on here. In any case, the pulling that was going on between these two clearly happened outside of the area.
No pen given - correct decision.

4) Pique vs. Anelka - Anelka enters the area with Pique directly in front of him. The ball bounces and hits Pique's outstretched arm. MY OPINION: The distance may have been short and although it wasn't really "intentional" (which handball ever is?), it certainly falls into the "hand-to-ball" category.
No pen given - wrong decision.

5) Eto'o vs. Ballack - Lampard's corner falls to Ballack who blasts a shot straight at Eto'o. The ball hits the back of his upper arm/shoulder. MY OPINION: Eto'o used his hands to jump, so he clearly didn't put them up to protect his face (not allowed), let alone stop the ball. The shot was hard and fired from a very small distance. Also, as replays show, Eto'o had his back turned towards the ball. You have take all of the above into consideration when making a decision.
No pen given - correct decision.

So there you have it. You were the better team on the night but it's your own approach and wastefulness as well as a bit of Catalan luck that cost you, not the referee. John Terry is talking about a poor decision, one poor decision, costing them a place in the final. He admitted that the other ones could've gone either way, so please put the "we should've had five penalties" stuff to rest and remember that we also had a clear pen denied at Camp Nou and a player wrongly sent off last night. Add to that the Ballack and Essien incidents and the countless small decisions that went your way in the first leg and I'd say neither team should complain as both were treated very poorly by the officials.

I agree 100%
The only pen was the handball on PK
We had a clear pen at the camp nou
then Puyol yellowd with his first real challenge, yet Alex left Henry semi consious and that was fine
yet Chelsi was consistently using fouling to defend :)
Then there was Abidals red

I also believe the pen on Henry was a red as he was clearly in a scoring oppertunity if they didnt pull him down. Also it wud have changed the whole context of the tie!

So I think over the two legs both teams got dodgy decisions.

And no ref in his right mind
will give Drogba a penalty
Everyone knows he goes done far to easy and is a freaken actor :)

[joker_C]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8039288.stm

[Viva_Ronaldo]

Put Chelsea into your satnav, you'll get: Chelsea... 2 minutes from Rome.

[Magus]

[pabz]

Things get clear when I feel free
When whatever next comes easily
When gentle hands give life to me
When your eyes fill with tiny tears

When I'm this still you are my life
(When I'm this still you are my life)
So at ease in the midnight sky
(So at ease in the midnight sky)
But my insides will look like war
(But my insides will look like war)
Paralysed except through my thought

So why so sad
You live and you love
So why so sad
Dependent on above
Searchin' for the dead sea scrolls
So why, so why so sad

My smile as real as a hyena's
(My smile as real as a hyena's)
Burns an expressway to my skull
(Burns an expressway to my skull)
But I'll stick myself together again
Spirit so low I no longer pretend

So why so sad
You live and you love
So why so sad
Dependent on above
Searchin' for the dead sea scrolls
So why, so why so sad

So why so sad
You live and you love
So why so sad
Dependent on above
Searchin' for the dead sea scrolls
So why, so why so sad
So why, so why so sad
So why, so why so sad
So why, so why so sad

[Speeka]

What a cracking atmosphere it was tonight. i've had far too many jars but thought Id pop in on my way to crash out. Don't know what it was with your lot, but you were far noiser last time you were here.

No real need for me to go over the game as to be fair, its been done to death. im just glad it isnt just us Chelsea fans who witnessed one of the worst displays of refereeing (and lino's) since "Escape To Victory". had the radio on on the way home and fans from up and down the country were phoning in saying as much. (its quite weird to hear a Scouser actually speaking in our defence)

1 shot on target and you scored from it. fair play, thats all it needed, but for all the crap I heard before this
game about stupid scorelines and being played off the park, tonight I saw none of that at all.

Iniesta is an awesome player - done much more over the 2 legs than Messi (for example), and Toure also had a great game. We really should have capitalised on at least one of the several chances we had, but we didn't and it inevitably cost us (although nowhere near as much as the ref cost us) :)

I'm really proud of our lads - on another night we'd have had at least 2 of those decisions go our way. But tonight wasn't that night.

One thing is for damn sure - Manchester United have had a far better season than us, and if you play anywhere like you did tonight, you will lose by at least 2 goals. But best of luck all the same.

Until we meet again.

ps. Norway is now officially off my places to visit list.

He posted this up, antimad... credit to CFC for this response, I think. I thought he'd come on and moan and b*tch but he's shown good dignity here.

I got a funny feeling that CFC is Frank Lampard. He & LAmpard were the only 2 people for chelsea that actually made dignified statements from the off.

[pabz]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1689/comedy ... x-released

Video: Didier Drogba Hip-Hop Remix Released

'The Drog-house' has exploded onto the underground scene with his fresh new beat that has got turntablists scrambling for the vinyl.


With Didier Drogba fast approaching his twilight years, combined with the escalating rumours that he is to be offloaded in the summer, the powerful no-nonsense justice-seeking Ivorian international is looking ahead to the future, and has made the surprise move of turning to hip-hop prior to hanging up his cleats.

His first single: That is a disgrace, has already become a global hit following it's release this morning, and there have already been calls for the rookie rapper to be awarded multiple MOBO's and countless Grammy's in order to recognise his lyrical skills.

The video below was shot at Stamford Bridge, in front of thousands of passionate fans, and sources close to Goal.com can reveal that esteemed music stars such as England's John Barnes are already looking at supporting 'The Drog-house' in his upcoming summer tour; Two minutes from Rome, where he is expected to perform his follow-up single; I'm sorry.

PLEASE NOTE: The video contains strong language and should not be viewed by minors or the easily offended.

[utility73]

I am still pumped up by this extraordinary victory!

I could watch replays of the goal all day, ok I kinda did the last two days

Actually I was a lot less high on Wednesday, because the all the bad moments now slowly fade away while that one astonishing moment becomes ever more imprinted into my neural circuits!

[Magus]

Drogba's mother called and she said "I'm sorry for him! He's a disgrace!"

[pabz]

Those sky pundits Jamie Redknapp, Ruud Gullit and Graeme Souness are pricks. Redknapp being the biggest muppet.

[Speeka]

Muhahahahahaaaa pwnt.

[IndoCulé]

Muhahahahahaaaa pwnt.

LOL I can't get enough of this!