Beauty wins day but ugly side leaves a bitter taste

IT WAS billed as beauty against the beast and although Barcelona’s beautiful football was rewarded in the end it will be remembered as much for the ugly side of Didier Drogba.

Andres Iniesta’s dramatic last-minute goal was harsh on a Chelsea side who had battled so hard to go 1-0 up and within touching distance of the Champions League final.

But Drogba’s reaction at the final whistle, when he rounded on referee Tom Henning Ovrebo and had to be held back by stewards and team-mates was a step too far.

The striker, hailed as the man who could frighten Barca into defeat, had been a key player in the match, missing three chances and having a string of penalty claims turned down.

But he lost his temper and his senses when Iniesta drove home an injury-time equaliser to send Barca to Rome before Michael Ballack’s last-gasp shot struck Samuel Eto’o’s arm only for Ovrebo to once again wave the claims away.

For what seemed an eternity Drogba chased Ovrebo off the field, waving his finger in the referee’s face, ranting at him from close distance and even shouting into a camera “He’s a disgrace, he’s a “f****** disgrace.”

The striker’s actions are almost certain to land him in serious trouble and make uncomfortable watching for Chelsea fans who also saw Drogba sent off in last year’s final, when they lost to Manchester United on penalties in Moscow. Drogba’s actions, together with reports of further trouble in the tunnel are certain to dominate today’s headlines which is a shame given they came at the end of a pulsating match which was fascinating from start to finish.

For the neutrals it was entertaining and nail-biting – and what a contrast there was to enjoy between the styles of the teams and the managers.

On the pitch Barcelona were all neat passing, clever touches and mesmerising runs from Lionel Messi and Iniesta; Chelsea instead characterised by Drogba’s thunderous runs and the irrepressible energy of Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda.

Off the pitch, it was the experience and understatement of Guus Hiddink against the youthful exuberance and animation of Pep Guardiola and it took until the final seconds to find a winner. Both styles have equal merit when it comes to concocting the perfect football match, of course. And when you combine the two then the result can be, as it was last night, a real treat for the senses.

A WEEK ago in the Camp Nou, of course, the effect wasn’t quite so entertaining. Chelsea went to Spain to defend and their negative tactics a left the home side’s players whining.

Last night, however, it was different.

Chelsea still played on the break, Barcelona still dominated possession. But Guus Hiddink’s side showed far more adventure this time, the crowd created a thunderous atmosphere and the action came thick and fast, almost as it would in a Premier League game.

The statistics will show you that Barcelona were the dominant force – they had 61% of possession in the first half for instance.

But in terms of pure action Chelsea deserved better. They had five penalty claims turned down in all, scored a goal through Michael Essien that would grace any football match in any country and restricted Barcelona to just one shot on target all match – Iniesta’s dramatic late leveller.

Iniesta, in fact, was certainly the best player on the pitch. The Spaniard’s clever, creative play saw him outshine the much-vaunted Messi and crown his performance with a wonderful strike.

Beauty, then, won the day. But the way the beast handled defeat will be the enduring memory for so many people.