Barca put Glasgow Rangers in their place.


Match Report: Wednesday 07/11/2007 20:45 hrs

Champions League Match Day 4
FC BARCELONA - GLASGOW RANGERS 2-0 ( 2-0 )


Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity: 98,772
Attendance: 82,887

Referee: Eric F.J Braamhaar ( NED )


Goals:
1-0 Henry ( 6' )

2-0 Messi ( 43' )


Cautions:
Yellow Card :


FC Barcelona - none


Glasgow Rangers - none


Possession:

FC Barcelona 66%
Glasgow Rangers 34%


Corner Kicks:

FC Barcelona 3
Glasgow Rangers 1


Shots on Goal ( On Target ):

FC Barcelona 16 ( 9 )
Glasgow Rangers 4 ( 2 )


Line-Up:

FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Puyol ( Oleguer, 85' ), Thuram, Milito, Abidal, Toure Yaya, Xavi, Iniesta ( Gudjohnsen, 70' ), Messi, Ronaldinho ( Bojan, 76' ), Henry
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Glasgow Rangers(5-4-1): McGregor, Hutton, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Hemdani, Beasley ( Novo, 69' ), Ferguson, Adam ( Darchville, 61' ), McCulloch, Cousin

Manager: Walter Smith


Match Report:
FC Barcelona finally proved everyone right against the stubborn Glasgow Rangers defence. The most feared attacking line in Europe were frustrated by the Scotts who piled up their defence to secure a 0-0 scoreline in their home ground. Barca later said they hoped other teams will play like Rangers did as the Catalan giants hinted they were perfecting a startegy to destroy defence-oriented teams. It looks the strategy is now in motion, going by the way Barca tore the Rangers defence to shreds.


It didn't take the Blaugrana too long to set the tone of the game, as the brilliant La Liga side dominated proceedings from the blast of the whistle. Just six minutes after the match, Barcelona were ahead. Magical Ronaldinho floated a cross to the far side of the area where Messi arrived unmarked to head back across goal and Henry beat Carlos Cuellár to send the ball home from point-blank range after it had clipped the inside of the post.


After Messi had curled in a shot straight at McGregor, Rangers briefly threatened in the 14th minute with a DaMarcus Beasley header that drifted wide. Andres Iniesta sent a curling effort just wide before Ronaldinho fired in a stinging shot that McGregor did well to tip over at full stretch. McGregor then kept out an effort from Henry, but the 25-year-old Scot could do little to prevent Barca going 2-0 ahead just before the break. In the 43rd minute, Ronaldinho and Messi played a clever one-two on the edge of the box and although the Brazilian's effort was saved by McGregor, Messi was on hand to turn home the loose ball and make it 2-0 for FC Barcelona. The second half ended with Barca two goals up.


Barca continued to make all the running after the break, and Xavi saw two shots go just wide while Messi and Henry were denied by McGregor. Off the pitch, tension was mounting behind one of the goals where Barca and a smattering of Rangers fans were located, an incident which had escalated from the first half. Objects were thrown between the two sets of supporters and, while security guards had been employed earlier to try to diffuse the situation, riot police made their presence known at the start of the second half. That appeared to have the required effect as the rival fans returned to watching the match and the riot police soon left the area with no more obvious incidents in the remainder of the game.


Meanwhile, the momentum on the pitch had not changed in the slightest though, with Barca still in total control. Iniesta and Messi missed golden opportunities, before Rangers coach Smith gave Cousin some support up front, sending on Jean-Claude Darcheville and Nacho Novo. Cousin made way for Steven Naismith with 15 minutes remaining, but the three newcomers did little to affect Barca's total domination. Rangers had a rare chance to test home goalkeeper Victor Valdes in the 81st minute when Darcheville won a free-kick 25 yards out. The Frenchman took the shot himself, but although his was a well-struck effort, it went straight into Valdes' midriff.


McGregor then almost gifted Barca a third goal with four minutes to go when he let Bojan's attempted lob slip through his grasp. However, the Rangers goalkeeper managed to recover possession before the ball crossed the line, denying 17-year-old Bojan the chance to become the youngest scorer in Champions League history.


Novo finally gave Valdes something serious to think about in injury-time when he connected well with a volley at the far post but Valdes did well to keep it out low down to his right.


The match ended without any goal from Glasgow Rangers and two from FC Barcelona.


My Comments:

As highly expected, Barca triumphed over Rangers by 2-0. The Blaugrana showed class from start to finish, with an exciting Ronaldinho painting the field red with colourful display. Thierry Henry is rapidly finding his rhythm at Barca, and is set to reproduce his famed goal scoring form and skills in the blue and the red jersey of FC Barcelona.


The Catalan giants are sure of a place in the next stage of the Champions League, leaving Rangers still second after Lyon defeated VfB Stuttgart by 4-2 in the other group E match.


Hopefully, Barca will continue this brilliant display against Getafe in the next La Liga match slated for the 10th of November, 2007 in Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Getafe’s home ground. Kick-off time is 20:00 hours