Hauge Vindicated by Barca Victory

Watching Barca’s captain Carles Puyol – the pride of Catalunya – hold the UEFA Champions League trophy aloft, it was clear that justice had been served. After all, Norwegian referee Terje Hauge had effectively taken the opening goal away from Barcelona early in the match, choosing instead to send off Arsenal’s German netminder Jens Lehmann rather than play the advantage. (This, incidentally, was the first-ever red card in a Champions League final.)

This decision would ultimately impact the remaining seventy-plus minutes of the match. For had Hauge allowed the advantage, Barcelona would have taken the early lead, but Arsenal would still have had eleven players…unless, of course, the referee had decided to add insult to injury by still sending Lehmann off, which really wouldn’t have made any sense since his trip of African Footballer of the Year – Samuel Eto’o – would not have denied a goal-scoring opportunity after all.

So kudos to Hauge for doing what had to be done and to Barca as well for holding up their end of the bargain by winning the match…the hard way.

It should be noted that Lehmann, who is known for his temper, was stone-faced and lacking emotion when he was given his marching orders – fully aware of both his guilt as well as the ramifications his actions would have on his team’s success in this, the most important match of the year. Forget the fact that somewhere out there Germany’s coach Jurgen Klinsmann was watching and wondering if he’d made a mistake in naming Lehmann as his #1 ‘keeper over perennial favorite and team captain Ollie Kahn.

Anyway, since Lehmann’s trip of Eto’o occurred outside the penalty box as the Barcelona striker was bearing down on goal, the ensuing restart was not a penalty kick, but rather, a free kick from nineteen yards out that Ronaldinho swerved about a yard wide of the net.

Barcelona would control much of the rest of the game. But it was ten-man Arsenal – who had sacrificed midfielder Robert Pires (likely playing his final match for the Gunners) in order to make way for reserve ‘keeper Manuel Almunia – who would strike first. Following a dubious call for a trip by Puyol against Arsenal’s hard-charging Ivorian defender Emmanuel Eboue just a few yards beyond the right side of the penalty box, Thierry Henry whipped the free kick onto the head of England’s stalwart center-back Sol Campell, who knocked the ball just inside the far left post beyond the reach of Barca’s Victor Valdes.

And despite being down a man since the opening twenty minutes of the match, Arsenal – and Almunia in particular – looked impregnable after three-quarters of the match had been played. Arsenal were close to reaching the ONE THOUSAND minute mark without conceding a goal in this competition when they finally did crack…995 to be exact.

The Gunners had actually had a couple of decent chances in the period leading up to their downfall, but Frank Riijkaard’s timely second half substitutions seemed to make the difference for Barca. Because just shortly after entering the match, Swede Henrik Larsson – who will be returning to his homeland to play for Helsingborg next season – deftly touched forward a long through-ball to Eto’o as he charged deep into the penalty box from the left, ultimately beating Almunia at the near post.

Just a few minutes later and now with only about ten minutes left on the clock, it was Larsson once again who would provide the assist. This time it was to another substitute, Juliano Belletti, who had entered the match in the 71st minute to replace Oleguer shortly after he’d earned a deserved caution for persistent infringement. Belletti’s close-range blast from a tight angle went right through Almunia’s legs and caromed unglamorously off the ‘keeper’s right foot and into the back of the net.

My guess is that Hauge was somewhat relieved that a) the match now seemed destined to conclude within its normal ninety minute timeframe and that b) the final result of Barca 2 – Arsenal 1 seemed justified in light of his game-defining decision earlier in the match…a decision that was quite fair as determined by the Laws of the Game. Obviously, from a football fan’s perspective it would’ve been nice to see both teams play at full strength throughout the game’s entirety, but the referee’s primary concern shouldn’t be about the fans, but rather, about meting justice.

Finally, I’d like to point out that despite the high stakes of the match and the fact that there were several cautionable offenses, I believe that both teams played with a level of sportsmanship. On several occasions I saw players clatter into one another and then help each other back up to their feet. One clear exception, however, was Ashley Cole who didn’t quite seem to understand this positive vibe when he ignored the outstretched arm of Barca’s Dutch midfielder Marc Van Bommel whom Cole had tackled hard, but not illegally.

And a case could also be made that Eboue’s simulation – which I believe it was after seeing the replay – that ultimately led to Arsenal’s goal was quite unsporting, but on the whole, I was happy to see the positive spirit in which the players comported themselves.

Both teams should be commended for their achievements in reaching the pinnacle of European club football. And with that behind us now, it’s only a matter of a few short weeks until the games begin in Germany! See you there.

Until next time…

peace,
ac