In one magical moment, all three of Vidic, Michael Carrick and Rooney were foiled in an attempt to take the ball away from Messi, with the Argentine eventually forcing a foul. United's only major European trophy since 2008 has come in the 2017 UEFA Europa League. Use of UEFA.com signifies your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. The change had no chance to take effect before Barcelona deservedly went two up five minutes later. Despite Barcelona's outstanding domestic form, United were arguably favourites as they attempted to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy in the UEFA Champions League era. Barcelona vs Manchester United. Barca upped the tempo in search of a potentially crucial second, but United prevented further damage, living to fight another day ahead of next Tuesday's return leg in Catalonia. No use for commercial purposes may be made of such trademarks. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Subs: Vidal (5), S. Roberto (6), Alena (n/a). Once more it was Barcelona who prevailed, winning 3-1 at Wembley. There's nothing more dangerous than not taking risks. Manchester United have lost three consecutive home Champions League knockout stage games for the first time. We suffered, they caused us problems in the second half, but we are happy overall with the result.". Before that, United host West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday (5.30pm), while Barca look to edge closer to the La Liga title away at Huesca on the same day (3.15pm). Samuel Eto'o: The Cameroon striker's 30 in the 2008/09 Liga included four in the first half of a 6-0 romp over Real Valladolid, and the fastest hat-trick in Barça history (23 minutes v Almería – a record since broken by Messi). Barcelona have won five of their last seven away games against English opponents in the Champions League (D1 L1), as many as they had in their first 17 such games in the competition (W5 D5 L7). Subs Not Used: Pinto, Caceres, Muniesa, Gudjohnsen, Bojan. This was Barcelona's fourth Champions League victory against Manchester United, with each one coming in a different stadium (Camp Nou, Stadio Olimpico, Wembley and Old Trafford). Manchester United's attempt to make history and become the first club to defend the Champions League ended in failure against Barcelona in Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Luke Shaw's first-half own goal handed Barcelona the advantage as Manchester United suffered a frustrating 1-0 defeat in their Champions League quarter-final first leg at Old Trafford. ", Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager: "It was a big opportunity for us and with our players I expected better, but we couldn't recover from losing the first goal. United looked to mount an instant response, with Valdes blocking crucially from Ronaldo, but there was no way back and it was Barcelona who looked more likely to add to their lead. Barcelona's peerless midfield pair of Andres Iniesta and Xavi ruled midfield with a display of passing perfection, starving United of further opportunities to strike at a defence weakened by injuries and suspension. United responded well to the early setback, halting Barca's dominance on the ball, but their cause was undermined by a toothless attacking display which failed to yield a single shot on target in the Champions League for the first time since 2005. And as Barcelona's name was carved on the giant trophy at the final whistle, with the celebrations of the Catalan fans a sharp contrast to the subdued Manchester United supporters, there was no doubting their right to claim Europe's elite trophy for the third time. Lionel Messi lined up in a formidable front three alongside Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho for Barcelona, whose only change for the victory at Atletico Madrid saw Nelson Semedo replace Sergi Roberto. Rooney was a peripheral figure, pushed to the margins of the game on the left flank. Marcus Rashford replaced Jesse Lingard in Manchester United’s only change from the win over Watford. Barça were then crowned European champions for a fifth time when they overcame Juventus in the 2015 decider. United started the final, played in stifling heat, as if retaining their crown would be little more than a formality, creating a host of early chances against the nervous-looking Catalans, with Cristiano Ronaldo a constant threat. ", Ryan Giggs, United midfielder: "At times Barcelona can make you look silly because they keep the ball so well.". Prograis would prove it, Lionel Messi was kept quiet by Manchester United, Diogo Dalot heads his glorious chance wide of the Barcelona goal, Suarez missed a good chance in the second half, Marcus Rashford battles for possession with Gerard Pique, We would like your feedback, please fill in our survey. Predict 6 correct scores for your chance to win £250K. But once Samuel Eto'o scored at Edwin van der Sar's near post in the 10th minute after escaping Nemanja Vidic, the credits were rolling on their bid to add the Champions League to the Premier League for the second successive season. Manchester United Barcelona celebrate after completing a deserved victory over Manchester United, Ronaldo shows his frustration as United stumble to a limp defeat, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites, United will regroup... but Barcelona are the best team in Europe. "We'll line up with more attacking players," said coach Guardiola. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Rafael Da Silva, Evans, Nani. Would he add to his haul? UEFA Champions League - Champions League Classics: Barcelona vs Manchester United, 2009 - News, Barcelona celebrate their final victory against Manchester United, Great Champions League goals from 2008/09, Cristiano Ronaldo looks on at the full-time whistle, Barça were then crowned European champions for a fifth time when they overcame Juventus in the 2015. Man Utd: De Gea (7), Young (4), Smalling (7), Lindelof (6), Shaw (6), Dalot (7), McTominay (7), Fred (6), Pogba (6), Lukaku (4), Rashford (6). Iniesta may have been an injury doubt prior to this final, but there was little evidence of fitness problems as he produced a virtuoso demonstration of the modern midfield arts, leaving United to chase in vain in an attempt to regain possession for the latter stages of the opening half. Messi was awarded the Ballon d’Or for 2009, while Eto’o joined Inter Milan soon after the Rome final and won the European title with the Nerazzurri in 2009/10 – his third UEFA Champions League success. Xavi then almost doubled Barcelona's lead with a 20-yard free-kick following Vidic's foul on Messi. Once Barcelona had settled after the early goal, there was no way back for United as several changes in formation failed to produce a spark and Wayne Rooney was unable to exert any influence on events, first from the left flank and then from the centre. Only one team could make history. Ferguson warned in the build-up that Iniesta - arguably the game's most influential performer - and Xavi could put opponents "on a carousel" with their passing, and his prediction proved ominously correct as United were on a rough ride after the optimism of those opening 10 minutes.