Irresistible Barcelona

Woke up at 4am last night to watch Chelsea vs Barcelona in the last-16 Champions' League round. One word: scintillating. Despite Chelsea playing with 12 men initially (if you include the Stamford Bridge pitch as a player. The pitch was horrendous), Barcelona was just simply a class above. The red card for the Chelsea player, Del Horno was a bit harsh but it was just a matter of time anyway since he was having a hard time containing that young Argentine player, Lionel Messi. It needed 2 own goals in the 2nd half to open up the game and it was finally settled by Samuel Eto'o, who was quiet for 80 minutes and then just suddenly popped out of nowhere to nod in the winning goal. Credit to Chelsea that they did not give up. However, Frank Rijkaard's side was just too good. Seeing how Barcelona play just emphasized how short of ideas the English teams are (Liverpool, Chelsea, MU, Arsenal). Rarely do you see them playing long balls up the field and just hope that they will catch the opponent's defence off-guard. No, this is an intelligent side, with crisp passings, accurate crosses and most importantly, the ability to hold the ball well. Watching Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Deco and Messi play just mesmerizes me completely. Worth the waking up and all. Final score Chelsea 1 Barcelona 2. First defeat for Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge since he took over. Cant wait for the 2nd leg in a fortnight's time.