Stuff purism, Chelsea's victory over Barcelona was a triumph of sheer will

Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2012 by Dailymail

The captain got sent off. The other centre half lasted 12 minutes. Just about everybody who could not afford to get booked got booked. Jose Bosingwa played centre half for 64 minutes. In the Nou Camp.

Against Lionel Messi and the best team in the world - a team who have now scored 104 goals at home this season. And they have, remember, no permanent manager.

Yet somehow, against all the odds, logic, expectation, the formbook, the coaching manuals and every credible assessment of how to run a football club (continuity, long-term planning) or win a football match at the Nou Camp (keep 10 men on the field, don't let Barcelona score two goals before half-time or give away a penalty), Chelsea have made it to the Champions League final.

They get there on one leg, missing John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles - and hoping against hope that Gary Cahill and David Luiz return from injury - but do not bet against them in whatever circumstance. Never bet against them after this.

Stuff purism, Chelsea's victory over Barcelona was a triumph of sheer will
Oh, what a night! It was all stacked against the Blues who forged a memorable victory

In the stadium in which Manchester United went into injury time as losers and emerged European champions, Chelsea did the impossible: they pulled off something new under the sun, something never seen before, a rearguard action of heroic dimensions.

Inter Milan progressed to a Champions League final here when down to 10 men two years ago, but they actually lost 1-0 on the night. Not only did Chelsea win through with a numerical disadvantage, they did not lose the game, either.

Fernando Torres equalised, late, one on one, as Barcelona's players sunk to the same turf that caressed Bayern Munich's disbelieving, vanquished team here in 1999. Those lucky enough to have witnessed both nights were reunited with a memory; that of stunned incomprehension at what had unfolded coupled with an intense feeling of elation.

Stuff purism; this was one of the great nights, simply because it was about more than just beauty and technique. It was about bravery, determination, a refusal to bow, a triumph of sheer will. It was not
Chelsea's destiny to be in Munich; it was their destiny to leave Catalonia defeated, as most teams do. They changed the narrative; they made this happen, somehow.

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