Barcelona 1 - 2 Liverpool

Since I actually did see this game, I might as well do a little report. It is interesting to note how many Swedes take an interest in Barcelona; even if the pub showed four games this was the biggest one and it was referred to as "the Barca game". There are many Liverpool fans here as well, and shirt-clad people were probably 50-50, but the neutrals leaned towards Barca.

It was an energetic game, a clash of different styles of play. Liverpool started strong, then spent the rest of the first half trying to get in Barcelona's way - and not really doing well at that. Barcelona played with great elegance (the first "bicicleta" kick came within the first minute), and were especially apt at gracefully taking the balls from the feet of their opponents and keeping it. Their passing at this stage of the game was vastly superior. The attacks kept coming from the home side and on 13 minutes a wonderful cross from Gianluca Zambrotta was expertly headed into the net by Deco. Barca kept dominating the first half, even if neither free kicks nor attacks found their way past the Liverpool defence.

Reyna was not only the busier, but also the more competent of the two keepers. On 42 minutes Victor Valdés's clumsy goalkeeping awarded Liverpool with a goal. When Craig Bellamy headed in a cross from Steve Finnan, Valdés caught it inside his own goal and then dropped it onto the feet of Dirk Kuyt who shot it in again, for good measure. Bellamy, to whom the goal was attributed in the end, celebrated with a golf club movement... If there was still any animosity between him and John Arne Riise there was no evidence of it on the pitch; the bruises were not visible and their cooperation in scoring Liverpool's winner was excellent. Having played with much more confidence in the second half, Liverpool finally settled the score on 75 minutes. A wonderful cross from skipper Gerrard was headed badly by Kuyt, but a hesitant Barca defence effectively gave the ball to Bellamy, who elegantly passed it to the unmarked Riise, enabling the Norwegian to kick it forcefully into the net.

An injury to Mohamed Sissoko, who had been very busy throughout, meant the introduction of Boudewijn Zenden for Liverpool and Bellamy had just been replaced by Jermaine Pennant. Barcelona put on Eidur Gudjohnsen for Saviola, but to no avail. Liverpool had risen to the occasion and could claim the victory.