Nothing Settled in Barcelona as Man U and Barca Draw

Nothing was settled on Wedensday night in Spain as Manchester United and Barcelona played the opening leg of the Champions League semifinal matchup to a scoreless draw.  All is left to play for and one should expect an electric evening next Tuesday as the two teams play at Manchester United.

The match opened brightly and looked to hold some goals as Manchester United were awarded an early penalty after a Cristiano Ronaldo diving header was handled in the box.  Surprisingly though, Ronaldo stepped up and drove the penalty kick wide right.  After that it was all Barcelona, as Barca held a choke hold on the rest of the first half.  Man U sat back and invited Barca to attack.  Unfortunately, Barcelona never took advantage of all the possession and went to the half tied 0-0.

The second half was much the same as Barcelona held the ball while Manchester United sat back.  Tevez and Rooney never got into the game at all, while Messi left the game early lacking fitness. Still, despite the domination, Barcelona rarely looked overly dangerous.   Thierry Henry was introduced into the match and over the last 15 minutes created two of the better scoring chances for Barcelona.  Too bad he wasn't allowed to play the whole game. 

Manchester United now holds control of the matchup as they go home only needing a win to advance to the Champions League final in Russia.