ManU vs. Barcelona

Played soccer for 7 years as a kid. Watch european club soccer obsessively when I have cable tv, and the world cup, too. But haven't followed things much lately. Though the world cup in SA next year will be fun. Anyway. ManU are basically the NY Yankees of soccer, but I still like them for some reason. I think it was the mythology of Beckham, how he was so good at such a young age. Having the flamboyant french keeper, Fabien Barthez, helped, too.

ManU had a couple of scoring opportunities in the first 10 minutes, and then Barcelona scored out of nowhere, and the rest of the first half was largely possession soccer, kinda meh. Nothing really quotable either. It's sad. Though Thierry Henry plays for Barcelona now, so there is hope for some excitement.

2nd half, better soccer:
"All he had to do was blow on it and we did have put it in the net" {Messi of Barcelona missed a cross}
Xavi of Barcelona hit the post
Messi got a beautiful goal off of a header of a Xavi cross: "he did it with style"
Lots of opportunities each way.
Ronaldo with a cheap shot on Puyol, yellow card
"Time is certainly not on their side, and the way they have played hasn't helped, either"
Barcelona is playing beautiful soccer, they aren't sitting on their lead
Barcelona wins 2-nill. Barcelona is good.
"as we speak, Rome is burning, it has been set ablaze by the Catalan conquerors"

BTW, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a good movie.