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BLOCKING OFF ALL AVENUES: Lionel Messi's (center) route being blocked by Park Ji Sung and Carlos Tevez at the Nou Camp. With everyone, bar Cristiano Ronaldo, given defensive responsibilities, Manchester United made it hard for Barcelona to breathe, let alone score. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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SO WHAT went wrong?
The Liverpool-Chelsea semi-final was expected to be a grind, and did not disappoint - but Barcelona nil, Manchester United nil, whoever would have thought it?
Well, clearly, Sir Alex Ferguson did.
In all his 21 years at Old Trafford, and for Aberdeen before them, Ferguson's credo in European competition has been, in his words, 'Go for their bloody throats'.
He has trusted 'British' spirit and swiftness to beat any amount of wily continental plotting.
But, in analysing Wednesday's game at the Camp Nou in advance, some of us overlooked the severity of what Ferguson had said this time last year.
His side had beaten AC Milan 3-2 in a thriller at Old Trafford, but lost naively 0-3 in the return leg.
'We're young,' Ferguson had said, 'we'll learn.'
Actually, he did not just say it. He growled.
On Wednesday in Barcelona, his famously attacking team turned Italian. They played so near to catenaccio, the system that chokes the flair out of opponents.
Paul Scholes, often the creative hub of United going forward, either kept the ball deep in his own half, or made more tidy tackles in front of his own defence than any of us can remember from him before.
Not just Scholes, but Wayne Rooney and Park Ji Sung tackling back on the flanks. Not just them, but Carlos Tevez running back to cut off Barcelona's raids.
With all, bar Cristiano Ronaldo, looking backwards - and doing their duty to order - it was hard for Barcelona to breathe, never mind score.
There was one sublime moment when Lionel Messi, with Patrice Evra tight on his back, flicked the ball up and nipped around the French defender. Messi collected the ball on his right thigh and kept on running smoothly.
That was the joy, the fun, the quality we came to see.
But Messi did not get five more metres before running into Wes Brown and Tevez. United, you might say, had him covered.
And the Argentinian was not fit for 90 minutes. It is too soon after his torn thigh muscle to play a whole game at that pace, but before he was taken off on the hour, he and Andres Iniesta created the best chance of the night.
Samuel Eto'o, who apparently threatened he would leave if Barca won nothing this season, fluffed it. He hit the side netting from eight metres. In truth, we have not seen the real, sharp, predatory Eto'o since his own return from injury before Christmas.
However, I am not saying that Barcelona v United was boring.
That was certainly the word for the Anfield semi-final, and you could add inept because of the way Fernando Torres squandered a chance and poor John Arne Riise stooped to head the ball into his own net at the end.
That own goal means that Chelsea, alone, go into next week's second legs without having to score to reach the final. It should therefore, one hopes, stimulate the other three to produce something, some moments at least, in the true manner of Ferguson's 'go for the throats'.
'Today, I didn't score,' admitted Cristiano Ronaldo after the final whistle at Nou Camp. 'No problem, I'm going to score in Manchester. Nil-nil is good for us because we have a great chance.'
Ronaldo, so pragmatic?
He was trying to show he has grown up, grown as wise as 'Sir' wants him to be after the na�vete of last year.
But what would you have betted against Ronaldo scoring the penalty handed to him, literally by Gabriel Milito, just 90 seconds into Wednesday's encounter?
After all, Ronaldo has scored 38 goals in 46 games. He's 'hot' as they say, and he looked mean and calm while he waited to make that 39.
He tried to be cute, to place the ball in the top corner rather than blast it as he usually does. He missed - by inches, but still a miss.
So that is Eto'o and Ronaldo failing with gilt-edged chances on a night when they were as rare as UFOs.
United's tactics gave away free kicks around their penalty area with impunity. Rafael Marquez and Xavi Hernandez did not get one on target.
And when Deco and Messi faded as they were bound to do, given their lack of match fitness, the Italian job done by the opaque Red Devils saw out the night of unforeseen negativity.
stsports@sph.com.sg
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