Viva la Barca!
Ludovic Giuly, like he usually does, maximised the clean Ronaldinho pass to score and gave Barcelona the crucial 1-0 lead in the 57th minute. Reports BBC:
Just before the hour mark, Ronaldinho finally stamped his class all over the contest. He picked the ball up 40 yards out, skipped past Jaap Stam and whipped an inch-perfect ball in to Giuly, who did not need to break his stride before lashing left-footed past a stranded Dida.
The first half saw Barcelona dominate possession early. However, Milan came back strong and had more chances of scoring. They could not make good of any of those chances though. A few more open chances in the second half (specially for Gildardino) meant Milan had only themselves to blame.
After starting the second half more promisingly than Barca, Milan were deflated by the Giuly strike when they should have become all the more fast footed. Perhaps the prospect of going into the Nou Camp with a goal deficit plus Barca having an away goal in their kitty put too much pressure on Milan.
Both teams hit the post once without scoring. The Ronaldinho strike had brilliance written all over it. Alas, it did not convert into a goal.The game was played very open with lots of chances making it a thrilling contest. All the focus now shifts to the Arsenal-Villareal first leg tie. For Barca fans like me, it is time to rejoice and celebrate.
Tags: AC Milan, Champions League 2005 06, FC Barcelona, Gildardino, Ludovic Giuly, Ronaldinho.
April 20th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
[…] In the first leg of the Barca-Milan tie, Ronaldinho experienced what FC is describing. Ronaldinho was fouled by Allesandro Nesta when there was no real hope of defending Ronaldinho. I was deeply concerned when Ronaldinho fell on the floor. The face fool of grimace from the obvious pain was a sharp contrast to the smiling face we charecterise Ronaldinho with. It was only a small moment. […]
April 26th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
[…] Forget the injury talk. Forget every thing else. When the match starts, it is going to be tough and competitive. Game 1 was not wasy with Milan having a lot of chances. They panicked a bit in the second half. However, they are unlikely to in the second leg today. So, it is going to be a very good battle and Barcelona will definitely have to earn the Champions League spot with a very good performance. […]