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2011 UEFA Champions League final

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The2011 UEFA Champions League finalwas anassociation footballmatch played on 28 May 2011 atWembley Stadiumin London that decided the winner of the2010–11 seasonof theUEFA Champions League.The winners received theEuropean Champion Clubs' Cup(the European Cup). The 2011 final was the culmination of the 56th season of the tournament, and the 19th in the Champions League era.

2011 UEFA Champions League final
Match programme cover
Event2010–11 UEFA Champions League
Barcelona Manchester United
Spain England
3 1
Date28 May 2011
VenueWembley Stadium,London
UEFAMan of the MatchLionel Messi(Barcelona)[1]
Fans' Man of the MatchLionel Messi (Barcelona)[2]
RefereeViktor Kassai(Hungary)[3]
Attendance87,695[4]
WeatherCloudy
15 °C (59 °F)
76%humidity[5]
←2010
2012→

The final was contested byBarcelonaofSpainandManchester UnitedofEngland,in a repeat of the2009 finalheld in Rome, which Barcelona won 2–0. The match kicked off at 19:45BST.Therefereefor the match wasViktor KassaifromHungary.[3]The venue, the new Wembley Stadium, hosted its first European Cup final, having opened in 2007; theold Wembley Stadiumhosted the finals in1963,1968,1971,1978and1992.[6]

Both teams entered the competition having won it three times previously; Manchester United in1968,1999and2008,and Barcelona in1992,2006and2009.To reach the final, in theknockout phaseBarcelona beatArsenal,Shakhtar Donetskand lastlyReal Madridin the 212thEl Clásicoderby, while Manchester United beatMarseille,ChelseaandSchalke 04.Both teams also entered the final as champions of their domestic leagues (thePremier LeagueandLa Liga,respectively), but neither team had won a domestic cup that season.

Barcelona dominated the match, winning 3–1 with goals fromPedro,Lionel MessiandDavid Villa,securing their fourth Champions League title.[7]Wayne Rooneyscored for Manchester United to level the score going into half-time.[8]

As a result, Barcelona qualified to play againstPorto,the winners of the2010–11 UEFA Europa League,in the2011 UEFA Super Cupin Monaco on 26 August 2011,[9][10]and they also earned a place in the semi-finals of the2011 FIFA Club World Cupin December 2011 as theUEFArepresentative.

Background

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The match was a rematch of the final two years earlier, which Barcelona had won 2–0 inRome.United and Barcelona had both won three European titles prior to the match. United had won three years earlier againstChelsea,Bayern Munichin 1999, andBenficain 1968. Barcelona had won their first title 19 years earlier, againstSampdoriaat the Wembley Stadium. They then won their second title in 2006, beatingArsenal2–1 inParis.The most recent title win for Barcelona was against United in 2009 and it was the most recent final for both of these teams. However, in 2008, United defeated Barcelona 1–0 on aggregate, at the semi-final stage, en route to claiming their third trophy. Barcelona were appearing in the final for the third time in six years while United were for the third time in four years.[citation needed]

Venue

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Inside Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadiumwas selected as the venue for the 2011 UEFA Champions League final at a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee inNyon,Switzerland,on 29 January 2009.[11]Other stadia in contention to host the final included theAllianz ArenainMunichandBerlin'sOlympiastadion.[12]The Allianz Arena instead hosted the2012 final.[11]The weekend set aside by UEFA for the 2011 Champions League final was originally scheduled byThe Football Leagueas the date for theFootball League play-off finals,which are traditionally held on the British May bank holiday weekend; however, due to UEFA's requirement that they be given exclusive use of the venue in the lead-up to the final, the play-off finals had to be relocated. Due to this breach of their contract withThe Football Association,The Football League demanded compensation.[13]On 21 January 2011, as part of a settlement agreement with the FA, theLeague OneandLeague Twoplay-off finals were moved toOld Trafford,Manchester,to be played respectively on 29 May and 28 May 2011; theChampionshipplay-off final was not rescheduled.[14][15]TheConference Nationalplay-off final was also moved to Manchester, to be played at theCity of Manchester Stadiumon 21 May 2011.[16]

Theoriginal Wembley Stadiumhosted five European Cup finals prior to 2011. The1968and1978finals were both won by English sides:Manchester UnitedbeatBenfica4–1 in 1968 andLiverpooldefeatedClub Brugge1–0 in 1978. Benfica also lost in the1963 final,beaten 2–1 byA.C. Milan,whileAjaxwon the first of three consecutive European Cups at Wembley in1971,beatingPanathinaikos2–0. In the1992 final,Spanish clubBarcelonadefeated Italian sideSampdoria1–0 in the final match played as the European Cup prior to the following season's introduction of the current Champions League format.[citation needed]

First opened for theBritish Empire Exhibitionin 1923, the stadium was originally known as the Empire Stadium. That year, it hosted its firstFA Cup Final,when almost 200,000 spectators attempted to watch the match betweenBolton WanderersandWest Ham United.Wembley played host to all ofEngland's matches at the1966 FIFA World Cup,including the 4–2 victory overWest Germanyin thefinal,and atUEFA Euro 1996.The original stadium was closed in 2000 and demolished three years later, to be replaced by a 90,000-capacity arena, which opened in 2007.[6]

Route to the final

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Further information:2010–11 UEFA Champions League

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Barcelona Round Manchester United
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
Panathinaikos 5–1(H) Matchday 1 Rangers 0–0(H)
Rubin Kazan 1–1(A) Matchday 2 Valencia 1–0(A)
Copenhagen 2–0(H) Matchday 3 Bursaspor 1–0(H)
Copenhagen 1–1(A) Matchday 4 Bursaspor 3–0(A)
Panathinaikos 3–0(A) Matchday 5 Rangers 1–0(A)
Rubin Kazan 2–0(H) Matchday 6 Valencia 1–1(H)
Group Dwinners

Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 Barcelona 6 14
2 Copenhagen 6 10
3 Rubin Kazan 6 6
4 Panathinaikos 6 2
Source:Soccerway
 Final standings Group Cwinners

Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 Manchester United 6 14
2 Valencia 6 11
3 Rangers 6 6
4 Bursaspor 6 1
Source:Soccerway
Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg Knockout phase Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
Arsenal 4–3 1–2(A) 3–1(H) Round of 16 Marseille 2–1 0–0(A) 2–1(H)
Shakhtar Donetsk 6–1 5–1(H) 1–0(A) Quarter-finals Chelsea 3–1 1–0(A) 2–1(H)
Real Madrid 3–1 2–0(A) 1–1(H) Semi-finals Schalke 04 6–1 2–0(A) 4–1(H)

Pre-match

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Ambassador

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UEFA's ambassador for the 2011 Champions League final was the formerTottenham HotspurforwardGary Lineker.In his first duty as ambassador, on 26 August 2010, Lineker helped to conduct the draw for the group stage of the competition.[17]Lineker was later involved in the unveiling of the branding design for the 2011 final at an event at Wembley Stadium on 25 November 2010. Hosted bySky SportspresenterRichard Keys,the event was also attended by UEFA competitions director Giorgio Marchetti, former BritishMinister for Sportand representative of theCity of LondonKate Hoey,General Secretary ofThe Football AssociationAlex Horne, andEngland Women's internationalFaye White.

Identity

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The logo for the final is in the style of a heraldic crest and features theEuropean Champion Clubs' Cupin the centre, flanked by two lions. According to the designers of the logo, London-based Radiant Studios, the lions are intended to represent the two teams that would contest the final, battling over the trophy. The use of traditional elements in a contemporary style in the design is said to have been inspired by modern British designers such asVivienne Westwoodand tailors onSavile Row.[18][19]

Officials

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In May 2011, Hungarian refereeViktor Kassaiwas chosen torefereethe final. He was joined by fellow Hungarians Gabor Erös and György Ring asassistant referees,fourth officialIstván Vad,additional assistant refereesTamás Bognárand Mihaly Fabian, andreserve assistant refereeRóbert Kispál.[3]

Ticketing

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Although Wembley Stadium can usually hold up to 90,000 spectators, the capacity for the 2011 Champions League final was approximately 86,000. The two teams that reached the final were allocated 25,000 tickets each, while a further 11,000 tickets were put on general sale. The application period for the latter opened on 24 February 2011 and closed at 17:00GMTon 18 March, with recipients to be determined by a random ballot before 6 April.[20][21]

A ticket launch event was held at London'sCity Hallon 17 February 2011, at which the above ticketing process was explained. The event was also used to promote the start of ticket sales, and was attended by final ambassador Gary Lineker, hiswomen's finalcounterpartHope Powell,UEFA Champions Festival ambassadorGraeme Le Saux,UEFA fourth vice-presidentMarios N. Lefkaritis,and vice-chairman of The Football AssociationBarry Bright.Le Saux and Powell were presented with the first symbolic tickets for the final by four local schoolchildren.[22]

Match ball

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A ball from the match on display at the UEFA Champions Festival inHyde Park, London

As with the previous ten UEFA Champions League finals, beginning with the2001 final,the match ball was provided by German sports equipment companyAdidas.Revealed on 3 March 2011 at Wembley Stadium, theAdidas FinaleLondonfeatures the "Starball" design synonymous with the UEFA Champions League. In reflection of theSt George's Crossseen on theflag of England,the ball itself is white with red stars, connecting to a central, bright orange star. Technically, the ball shares its structure with theAdidas Finale Madrid,which was used for the2010 final.[23]

Opening ceremony

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The 2011 Champions League final was officially opened on 21 May 2011 with the opening of the 2011 UEFA Champions Festival atSpeakers' CornerinHyde Park,London. The festival ran for the entire week leading up to the show-piece match at Wembley, closing a few hours before kick-off. Among the attractions at the festival were displays detailing the history of the European Cup, miniature football pitches for use by the public, and the trophy itself.[24]

TheUEFA Champions League Anthemwas performed by Britishclassical crossovergroupAll Angels.[25]The opening ceremony also featured a performance from English rapperTinchy Stryder.[26]

Match

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Summary

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First half

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Barcelona outplayed Manchester United, controlling 68% of possession and having 22 attempts on goal compared to United's four.[27]United's game plan was to get bodies in front of Barcelona's attack and hope to keep the ball away from their end whenever they received possession.[citation needed]United would therefore often try long balls as their method of attack. Manchester United started the better of the sides, with more possession and brief sights of goal in the opening minutes.Javier Hernándezhad a shot towards goal blocked, and another fly over the bar (he had been offside anyway in the approach play). Barcelona came into the game after their slow start and created a few chances.David Villahad a shot from range go just wide in the 19th minute, and another in the 21st minute was saved well by Van der Sar. Barcelona then took the lead in the 27th minute whenXaviplayed inPedro,who struck from inside the penalty area. It looked as if Barcelona could keep possession to win the game with just that goal. However, United equalised seven minutes later against the run of play. After some pressuring by United on Barcelona who were taking a throw-in deep in their own half,Wayne Rooneyreceived the ball, played a one-two withRyan Giggs,and curled the ball into the corner from 15 yards. Replays showed that Giggs may have been just offside in the approach play. On the stroke of half-time, Messi almost latched onto a cross from Villa but could not turn it into the net from a few yards out. The whistle blew soon afterwards for half-time.[27]

Second half

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Barcelona's dominance continued in the second half. Messi almost gave Barcelona the lead in the 52nd minute when he latched onto a rebound from a Van der Sar save fromDani Alves,butPatrice Evracleared off the line with his head. Barcelona regained the lead in the 54th minute when Messi received the ball and fired home from 20 yards out. Barcelona dominated for the next 15 minutes or so. Messi turnedRio Ferdinandand got a shot away from about eight yards out, forcing a save from Van der Sar. In the 66th minute, Xavi had a long shot saved by Van der Sar, and Iniesta had another long shot saved by the United keeper a few minutes later. A third goal came in the 69th minute.David Villagot the ball about 20 yards out and curled a shot into the top corner to seal the result.[27][28]United tried to hit back immediately with an attack, with Rooney having a curling shot go just over the bar.Nanithen made a run across Barcelona's 18-yard box in the 85th minute and got a shot away which went just wide. But there was no way back for United and Barcelona held on comfortably to win their fourth European title and the third in six years.[citation needed]

Details

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Barcelona3–1Manchester United
 Report Rooney34'
Attendance: 87,695[4]
Barcelona[5]
Manchester United[5]
GK 1 Víctor Valdés 85'
RB 2 Dani Alves 60' 88'
CB 14 Javier Mascherano
CB 3 Gerard Piqué
LB 22 Eric Abidal
DM 16 Sergio Busquets
CM 6 Xavi(c)
CM 8 Andrés Iniesta
RF 7 David Villa 86'
CF 10 Lionel Messi
LF 17 Pedro 90+2'
Substitutes:
GK 38 Oier
DF 5 Carles Puyol 88'
DF 21 Adriano
MF 15 Seydou Keita 86'
MF 20 Ibrahim Afellay 90+2'
MF 30 Thiago
FW 9 Bojan
Manager:
Pep Guardiola
GK 1 Edwin van der Sar
RB 20 Fábio 69'
CB 5 Rio Ferdinand
CB 15 Nemanja Vidić(c)
LB 3 Patrice Evra
RM 25 Antonio Valencia 79'
CM 16 Michael Carrick 61' 77'
CM 11 Ryan Giggs
LM 13 Park Ji-sung
SS 10 Wayne Rooney
CF 14 Javier Hernández
Substitutes:
GK 29 Tomasz Kuszczak
DF 12 Chris Smalling
MF 8 Anderson
MF 17 Nani 69'
MF 18 Paul Scholes 77'
MF 24 Darren Fletcher
FW 7 Michael Owen
Manager:
Alex Ferguson

UEFA Man of the Match:
Lionel Messi(Barcelona)[1]
Fans' Man of the Match:
Lionel Messi(Barcelona)[2]

Assistant referees:[3]
Gábor Erős (Hungary)
György Ring (Hungary)
Fourth official:[3]
István Vad(Hungary)
Additional assistant referees:[3]
Mihály Fábián (Hungary)
Tamás Bognár(Hungary)
Reserve assistant referee:[3]
Robert Kispál (Hungary)

Statistics

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Post-match

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Trophy presentation and celebrations

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In a gesture by his teammates,Eric Abidal,who had undergone surgery only two months earlier to remove a tumour in his liver, was given the honour of wearing the captain's armband during the trophy presentation ceremony. He was the first player to lift the trophy. Speaking afterwards, Abidal, who was in tears, appreciated the gesture, and spoke of how "special" his club was.[30]

Barcelona coachPep Guardiolasingled out Messi after the game, stating the Argentine was "the best player [he'd] ever seen" and that Messi "made the difference" in the game.[31]Meanwhile, Manchester United managerSir Alex Fergusonacknowledged that the Barcelona side was the best team he had ever faced.[32]His sentiments were echoed by United captainNemanja Vidićand defenderRio Ferdinand.[33]

Gerard Piquécut the mesh from the net in front of the Barcelona fans where Barcelona had scored the two winning goals, and took it back to the club museum at theCamp Nou.The Barcelona players, coaches, and their families then formed a circle at centre field and danced. The sprinklers at Wembley came on at this time and the players and coaches celebrated under them.[citation needed]

The match was the last for Manchester United goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar,who had announced his retirement from football to follow the 2011 season.[citation needed]

Broadcasting

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The match was shown onITVandSky Sportsin the United Kingdom. In the United States,Foxaired the final for the second consecutive year.[citation needed]UK-based outside broadcast facilities providerNEP Visionsprovided host coverage of the event.[citation needed]InSouth America,Rede GloboandRede Bandeirantesbroadcast the match forBrazil.[citation needed]Sky Deutschland(Pay TV) andSat. 1were broadcasting the match forGermany,public broadcasterSF 2showed the final inSwitzerland,as well as, the public broadcasterORF 1inAustria.[34]

The match was broadcast live in 3D in the Trädgår'n club hall inGothenburg,Sweden on theGuinness Book of World Records'largest television.[35][36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abHart, Simon; Macho, Álvaro (29 May 2011)."Stellar Messi hails 'incredible' Barcelona".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations.Retrieved29 May2011.
  2. ^ab"Player Rater – Top Player – Lionel Messi".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2011.Retrieved29 May2011.
  3. ^abcdefgh"Kassai to referee UEFA Champions League final".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 27 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2011.Retrieved28 May2011.
  4. ^ab"Full Time Report"(PDF).UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2011.Retrieved28 May2011.
  5. ^abc"Tactical Line-ups – Final – Saturday 28 May 2011"(PDF).UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2011.Retrieved28 May2011.
  6. ^ab"Wembley returns to centre stage".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 30 January 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2010.Retrieved24 March2010.
  7. ^"Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1".BBC Sport.28 May 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 29 May 2011.Retrieved30 May2011.
  8. ^"Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1".The Daily Telegraph.28 May 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved30 May2011.
  9. ^"Rahmenterminkalender 2011/2012".DFB.de(in German). Deutscher Fussball-Bund. 24 November 2010.Retrieved17 April2011.
  10. ^"Calendrier Général des Compétitions 2011/2012"(PDF).LFP.fr(in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 31 March 2011.Archived(PDF)from the original on 25 May 2011.Retrieved17 April2011.
  11. ^ab"UEFA unveil 2011 and 2012 final venues".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 29 January 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2011.Retrieved23 March2010.
  12. ^"Wembley to host 2011 Euro final".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 January 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 30 January 2009.Retrieved29 January2009.
  13. ^"Football League seek compensation after Wembley is double-booked".Times Online.Times Newspapers. 24 February 2009.Retrieved12 September2009.[dead link‍]
  14. ^"Old Trafford to host League One and Two play-off finals".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 January 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 25 January 2011.Retrieved21 January2011.
  15. ^"Play-Offs head North".football-league.co.uk.The Football League. 21 January 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 24 January 2011.Retrieved21 January2011.
  16. ^"Blue Square Bet Premier final moves to Manchester".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 September 2010.Retrieved21 January2011.
  17. ^"Lineker embarks on ambassador role".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 26 August 2010.Retrieved25 February2011.
  18. ^Adams, Sam (25 November 2010)."Event design launch sharpens Wembley focus".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations.Retrieved25 February2011.
  19. ^"VIDEO: Champions League logo revealed".TheFA.The Football Association. 25 November 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 16 April 2011.Retrieved25 February2011.
  20. ^"Wembley final tickets set to go on sale".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 17 February 2011.Retrieved26 February2011.
  21. ^"UEFA Champions League final ticket sales over".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 18 March 2011.Retrieved20 March2011.
  22. ^Ashby, Kevin (17 February 2011)."London ticket launch event brings final closer".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations.Retrieved26 February2011.
  23. ^Haslam, Andrew (3 March 2011)."Finale London unveiled at Wembley".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations.Retrieved20 March2011.
  24. ^"Hyde Park to host Champions Festival".UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2011.Retrieved26 February2011.
  25. ^Gray, James (20 October 2016)."What is the Champions League music? Who wrote the UEFA anthem?".Express.co.uk.
  26. ^Smith, Caspar Llewellyn (27 May 2011)."Tinchy Stryder to become first rapper to perform at Champions League final".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved28 July2023.
  27. ^abc"Barca masterclass seals trophy".ESPNsoccernet.28 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 26 October 2012.Retrieved29 May2011.
  28. ^"No answer to Barca genius".Sky Sports.BSkyB. 28 May 2011.Retrieved29 May2011.
  29. ^abc"Team statistics: Full time"(PDF).UEFA.Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2011.Retrieved29 May2011.
  30. ^Rogers, Martin (28 May 2011)."Touching gesture follows Barca's victory".Yahoo! Sports.Retrieved29 May2011.
  31. ^"Guardiola delighted with performance".ESPNsoccernet.28 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 26 October 2012.Retrieved29 May2011.
  32. ^"Fergie: Barca the best I've faced".ESPNsoccernet.28 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 31 May 2011.Retrieved29 May2011.
  33. ^"Vidic: Barca were deserving winners".ESPNsoccernet.28 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 26 October 2012.Retrieved29 May2011.
  34. ^"Broadcasters from German spoken countries"[Sky Deutschland, Sat.1, SF 2 and ORF 1 are broadcasting UEFA's Champions League Final 2011] (in German). TV-Sport.de. 21 May 2011.Retrieved23 April2012.
  35. ^"EKTA's Ukrainian produced 3D Led TV makes the Guinness World Record Book".ekta-led. Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2011.Retrieved21 July2011.
  36. ^"Viasat sätter nytt Guinness världsrekord i 3D-TV"[Viasat sets a new Guinness world record for 3-D TV] (in Swedish). viasat.se. 1 July 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 1 August 2011.Retrieved21 July2011.
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