Red-hot Ronaldinho rules

Brcelona 1 Chelsea 1 (Agg 3-2)

Ronaldinho sent Jose Mourinho’s side spiralling out of the Champions League with a wonderful goal at the Nou Camp and left Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich wondering how much he will have to spend to achieve his own goal of European domination.

His Chelsea side performed admirably in Spain, taking the sting out of their free-flowing rivals before starting to edge the second half. They even equalised with a dubious penalty in the very last minute, tucked home by Frank Lampard after John Terry had been brought down by Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

But it was not enough, and it showed there are some things in football that money simply can’t buy. More than 100 years of footballing history and the stature it brings, for instance, or the passion of 90,000 fans inside the imposing Nou Camp. And then there’s Ronaldinho.

Twelve months of angry exchanges between Barcelona and Chelsea have apparently convinced the Brazilian he never wants to move to Stamford Bridge and that is a big shame - because he was the real difference between the teams in the end.

He scored the all-important goal that gave Barca a 1-1 draw on the night and a 3-2 aggregate win, and it will no doubt be replayed on television screens for years to come.

The Brazilian samba-danced past three Chelsea defenders before whipping home a 78th minute finish that ended Chelsea’s brave resistance and reminded everyone why the London side are still not quite dining at the very top table.

Samuel Eto’o hit a post after that but Chelsea earned a last-minute penalty, even if van Bronckhorst seemed to win the ball, to at least bow out with their heads held high.

To be fair, they performed admirably overall and with greater firepower perhaps could even have sneaked a win. And that will no doubt be in Abramovich’s mind as he opens up his chequebook again this summer.

In the early stages, as you might expect, the match was tentative - not least because Mourinho had gained a psychological edge with his team selection.

He surprised most people in the Nou Camp, possibly Frank Rikjaard included, by changing his formation for the first time in recent memory and opting to leave out Eidur Gudjohnsen and play Arjen Robben in a more central role behind Didier Drogba.

Chelsea, trailing 2-1 from the first leg, were desperate for an early goal and came close after eight minutes when Cole’s cross from the right was only inches too high for Drogba, who had sneaked into the area unmarked. But they knew they were in for a difficult night.

Barcelona’s first real chance came after 11 minutes, a snap shot from Motta well smothered by Petr Cech, and it was a matter of digging in for Mourinho’s side as Barca found their feet.

Ronaldinho caused absolute havoc with his back-heels and fancy flicks that lit up the pitch like magic dust on a green baize. But equally Chelsea defended with such stoicism that the contest was a fascinating one.

Terry came in with one thunderous challenge on Ronaldinho that left him lying bewildered in the penalty area while Ricardo Carvalho produced a block of such quality on Messi that it was magical in its own way.

Messi never really recovered and after another tussle with Robben he had to be substituted with a twisted knee half-way through the first half, to be replaced by former Celtic hero Henrik Larsson.

Chelsea’s chief hope at this stage was that they could soak up all the pressure and hurt Barca on the break, particularly through the aerial power of Drogba, who had a wonderful chance from a Robben cross after 18 minutes but headed straight at goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Robben, too, occasionally had the beating of his man and cut in from the right after 37 minutes to test Valdes on another breakaway for the visitors.

But it was the lively Cole who almost put Chelsea ahead before half-time, dinking a lob narrowly over the bar after Lampard had headed on a free-kick inside the box.

If that makes it sound like Chelsea were on top then it only goes to prove how statistics can lie, because nobody was in any doubt that Barca enjoyed the majority of possession in areas where it really counts. But at half-time Chelsea were still in it - and that was enough for their followers, so high up in the imposing stands of the Nou Camp that they almost faded into the dark night sky above them.

They saw the game deteriorate after the break, with disciplinarian referee Markus Merk ensuring there were regular stoppages and a never-ending list of free-kicks as Chelsea began to turn the match around.

Mourinho went for the throat by bringing on Hernan Crespo and Eidur Gudjohnsen after 58 minutes and Chelsea should have scored when Cole beat his man superbly on the right and put in the perfect near-post cross for Crespo - who arrived at pace but thumped his effort wide from only six yards.

That was the chance, the one that got away, the one that could have turned this into a night to remember for Chelsea. But Ronaldinho made sure it never happened, and you really couldn’t deny it was great to watch.

BARCELONA: Valdes, Oleguer, Puyol, Marquez, Van Bronckhorst, Deco, Edmilson, Motta, Messi (Larsson 25), Ronaldinho, Eto’o.

CHELSEA: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Joe Cole (Huth 83), Makelele, Lampard, Duff (Gudjohnsen 58), Robben, Drogba (Crespo 58).

Ref: Markus Merk (Germany).