Barcelona win Champions League in style over Manchester United

Well most thought the story of the Champions League Final would be the holes in the Barcelona defense, but the what turned out to be the story was the dominance of the Barcelona midfield as Xavi and Iniesta ran freely through the center of the pitch all night.  Picking up balls, keeping possession and dictating the flow of the match.

It was a typical Manchester United start though as they came out flying with Cristiano Ronaldo getting 3 quality shots in the opening 5 minutes of play including a free kick that handcuffed Barca keeper Victor Valdes into a fat rebound that had to be cleared from the six yard box.  Man U looked destined for the opening goal, but then Barca struck on their first real attack of the night.  Samuel Eto'o got loose down the right side and cut inside Vidic in the 18.  He fired low underneath Edwin van der Sar for the shocking opener.

After the shocker, Manchester United were clearly out of sorts as Barcelona came to diminate possession and the match pinning Man U into their own end for long stretches of play.  Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi began to boss the match.  Barca created more chances as they probed for the 2nd goal as Lionel Messi fired just over the crossbar and Xavi just missed wide on a free kick.

The 2nd half saw Manchester United introduce Carlos Tevez in an attempt to generate more attack, but little changed as Barcelona once again dominated the midfield and possession.  Just 3 minutes into the half Thierry Henry got into the box on the left side where he turned Rio Ferdinand inside out before firing low forcing a smart save from van der Sar. 

In the 52nd it was more Barcelona.  This time Iniesta drew a Tevez foul just outside the box where Xavi rifled the free kick squarely off the right post and back into play.  Finally in the 70th minute Barca would be rewarded for their quality as Xavi flighted a perfect cross to the back post where Messi rose and flicked the header into the back side net for the 2-0 margin.

Manchester United seemed reserved to their fate as they tried to push forward, but were unable as Carles Pujol captained the Barca defense.  The better squad definitely won on the night as Barcelona were simply wonderful in all aspects on the glorious night of soccer in Rome.