If there was one Barcelona player who epitomizes a great comeback, it
is David Villa. Injured during the 2011 Club World Cup final with a
broken leg, Villa's road back to form has been long and arduous.
The Asturian finally returned to the side last August but has found
himself in recent months coming off the bench more often than not; all
while there were transfer rumors of his departure to the Premier League
swirling around the Camp Nou.
But with Barcelona in desperate need of goals heading into the second
leg versus Milan, Jordi Roura turned to 'El Guaje' and he responded
with a sublime 55th minute left-footed strike that served as the winner
to help Barcelona advance to the quarterfinals.
The goal now gives Villa eight Champions League goals as a member of
the azulgrana tying him with Hristo Stoichkov and Thierry Henry. Also of
note is that it was Villa's sixth goal in Champions League play versus
clubs from Serie A.
"We believed from the very first minute", Villa said just moments
after the match. If there ever was a player who could speak to the power
of belief, it is David Villa
Oh
boy, didn’t that feel good? Barça stormed into the Uefa Champions
League quarter-finals tonight with a stupendous 4-0 victory over AC
Milan at Camp Nou. Needing to overcome a 2-0 deficit from the first leg,
and with doubters predicting the end of an era, Barça levelled the tie
with two first half goals from a superb Leo Messi. David Villa fired in
Barça’s third early in the second half and despite some extremely tense
moments due to the double value of a possible away goal, Barça defended
firmly and an injury time goal from Jordi Alba put the icing on the cake
of a glorious night.
Jordi Roura and Tito Vilanova kept everybody guessing about the
starting XI and the big surprise, just over an hour before kick off, was
that club captain Carles Puyol was not included in the team. There was
also no place for either Alexis Sanchez or Cesc Fabregas as Barça lined
up with ten of the eleven that started in the Wembley final in 2011,with
the only difference being Jordi Alba in place of Eric Abidal. For Milan
Max Allegri opted for Abbiati, Abate, Zapata, Mexes, Constant,
Montolivo, Ambrosini, Flamini, Niang, Boateng and El Shaarawy.
From the kick off it was clear that Barça were playing a defence of
three, with Dani Alves playing a more forward role on the right wing.
Pedro started on the left with Villa as centre forward and Messi playing
the attacking point of a midfield diamond. The system required a very
high pressing game which we haven’t seen for some time, but tonight the
players showed a hunger and fighting spirit which was demonstrated in
every fifty-fifty ball.
In the first five minutes the pattern for the game was set with Barça
regaining possession at lightning speed whenever Milan got the ball.
Then in the fifth minute Barça attacked down the left, Iniesta, Pedro
and Busquets combined to send the ball to Messi who played a quick
one-two with Xavi before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top
corner from just inside the area.
It
was the perfect start and Barça showed no sign of letting up. Milan
managed a timid attack in response when El-Shaawary scuffed his shot
wide but generally Barça’s intense pressing game meant we were winning
every ball that Milan tried to play forward. There was a shout for a
penalty when Abate seemed to foul Pedro as he looked for Xavi’s long
pass. Then in the 13th minute Iniesta played a one-two with Pedro before
cracking in a shot that Abbiati saved with the help of the crossbar and
Messi following up could only head the ball into the sidenetting.
Barça were incessant. Even Messi was working hard to chase down
defenders, provoking Abate into a back pass which Villa was very close
to intercepting. Soon after Abbiati had to stretch to tip Xavi’s
25-yarder past the post. Camp Nou was buzzing but with the score at 1-0
there was still an awful lot to do. Pedro headed wide from Alves’s cross
but the chances began to dry up. Milan began to look more comfortable
and after Jordi Alba ran into a blind alley Milan attacked quickly down
the right but El-Shaawary’s acrobatic attempt at an overhead kick failed
to connect with Niang’s cross. El-Shaawary then had a low shot from the
left that Valdés covered comfortably while at the other end Alves fired
a yard wide with a low shot from outside the area.
There was obviously a need for Barça to take risks but when two of
our defensive three, Piqué and Alba, combined on the left wing for Alba
to cross it was pushing things a touch too far. Milan cleared the ball
quickly, Mascherano failed to cut it out and Niang was suddenly clean
through on goal. Camp Nou held its breath as the dreaded away goal
seemed inevitable. There was then the most enormous sigh of collective
relief as the young striker’s shot bounced out off the far post. From
a possible 1-1 a minute later it was 2-0. Iniesta robbed Ambrosini 45
yards out and then sent a firm pass to Messi on the edge of the area,
the control was good and the finish from the four-time Ballon d’Or was
typically lethal, firing low, through Mexes’s legs and into the corner
past Abbiati’s dive. Nobody could complain at Barça going in 2-0 at half
time though the tie was still delicately balanced.
The second half began with a run from Messi past two that ended with
Abbiati making a comfortable save. The intention from Barça was clear:
to keep Milan pinned back in their half. The Italians managed another
timid attempt on goal when Boateng hooked a corner well wide but the
next goal always looked more likely to come from home side. It arrived
in the 55th minute and again we were rewarded for our intense pressing
when Mascherano won the ball back in Milan’s half, quick touches from
Iniesta and Xavi sent in Villa on the right and the Asturian curled his
shot inside the far post to an eruption of joy from Camp Nou. The
hardest part had been achieved but with 35 minutes remaining there was
still plenty of time for Milan to search for the all important away
goal. Barça continued with the intense pressing but with a more
conservative approach in possession. Little by little Milan edged
forward with Robinho and Muntari on for Niang and Ambrosini, but Barça
defended firmly. The was one shot that took a pinball effect bouncing
off a couple of players but Milan couldn’t pounce on the loose ball and
the danger was cleared.
The atmosphere was unbelievably tense going into the last 15 minutes
as Bojan was brought on for Flamini and Alexis and Puyol replaced Villa
and Mascherano. There was still relatively little real danger on
Valdés’s goal but the game was being played more and more in Barça’s
half. In the 80th minute Busquets had to make an excellent tackle to
prevent one burst into the area. Then a minute later Bojan almost ruined
Barça’s night after nipping past Piqué on the left but his low cross
towards Robinho was brilliantly anticipated by Alba.
It was almost too much to bear. Roura brought on Barça’s final
substitute, Adriano for Pedro, as the team put in a final effort to hold
on. The work-rate was exceptional throughout and Milan could find
little more in the final minutes. In injury time Messi lead a breakaway,
feeding Alexis on the right, and then, as if to typify Barça’s undying
attacking philosophy, with Milan still just one goal away from
qualification, it was a defender, Jordi Alba, sprinting forward to meet
Alexis’s cross and slot the ball home. Madness? Brilliance? You tell me.
It was certainly a fabulous way to finish an unforgettable night.
The
hardest part had been achieved but with 35 minutes remaining there was
still plenty of time for Milan to search for the all important away
goal. Barça continued with the intense pressing but with a more
conservative approach in possession. Little by little Milan edged
forward with Robinho and Muntari on for Niang and Ambrosini, but Barça
defended firmly. The was one shot that took a pinball effect bouncing
off a couple of players but Milan couldn’t pounce on the loose ball and
the danger was cleared.