Hail the Kings of Europe!

Last night was 'the night' for Barcelona! After the defeat at last years Tournament at the hands of Chelsea, they claimed the scalp of Chelsea on their way to the Finals and became the eventual winners. To recap a bit of the game, it started as lively as ever with Henry going really close to giving Arsenal the lead. But after 17 mins, there was drama when Lehmann brought down Eto'O outside the box and though Giuly scored, the ref had already blown his whistle so the goal was disallowed. To make matters worse ,Lehmann was sent off and a freekick was given outside the box - which Ronaldinho uncharacteristically send wide! Arsenal had to 'sacrifice' Pires - in what could be his last appearance in the Gunners shirt - in order to bring Almunia on to keep their changes alive. And Almunia made the save of the day -immediately after coming on - from Eto 'O who turned Campbell inside the box and fired at the goal, but Almunia managed to turn it on to the post and deny Barca.

From then on, Arsenal were on the back foot fighting for possession with Henry helping out in defence and then trying to turn it into attack. But on the 36th minute, Arsenal stunned the Barca supporters as Campbell powered a thumping header past Valdes and into the back of the net from a Henry free kick. 10 Man Arsenal had just taken the lead against mighty Barcelona. The Catalans were frustrated as the solid Gunners defence thwarted all that was thrown at them. Henry had to help in defence and then go up field for attack. It was a time when all the neutral fans - including me - felt sorry for Arsenal. Here they were, against all odds, in the final and then they get their star keeper sent off but are still fighting tooth and nail and score the opening goal too. What more did they have to do to win??? In fact they knew they had to lots and lots more to keep Ronaldinho, Eto 'O and Giuly at bay.

Arsenal go into the half-time with 10 men and the lead, but will it be a game of two halves? One change as the teams emerge - Iniesta on for the injured Edmilson, and Arsenal with the same 10. The second half begins the same way as it had ended, with Barcelona continuously attacking Arsenal and leaving Henry a bit frustrated. In fact the Gunners were playing a 4-5 formation with Henry moving into attack as the lone striker. Iniesta, who had come on in the second half, was certainly making things tough for Arsenal with his long strikes and searing runs through the gunners defence, but Almunia somehow manages to maintain the lead. By the 60th min, Rijkaard knew he had to make changes and so off goes van Bommel and on comes the dangerous Larsson to add more fire power to the Barca attack. 10 mins later, they make yet another change and bring on Belletti for Oleguer. In a couple of mins, Arsenal make their first 'real' change of the game, by replacing Fabregas with Flamini. Rijkaard had read the game well, and Larsson's deft touch unleashes Eto 'O who fires the ball past Almunia to bring Barcelona back into the game. The Gunners are shattered! The Arsenal corner is gloomy. The chants of "1-0 to the Arsenal" are no longer heard!. They all know that this could cost them the cup! Disaster for Arsenal as, 4 mins later, the magnificent Larsson sets up Belletti who finishes from close range to score his first goal for Barcelona - and probably the most important one! The entire Arsenal bench is stunned. All is quiet on one side of the stadium. On the other side, the Spaniards light 11 flares and smoke fills the stadium. Arsenals dream has been shattered in 4 minutes. Henry looks at the sky with a sad shake of the head. Almunia stares at the ground which seems to move beneath his feet...The game is all but lost for Arsenal.

Arsenal make their final change of the game and bring Reyes on for Hleb, but with just 5 mins on the clock, things do look bleak for them. The final whistle is heard and almost the entire stadium erupts!!!. Barcelona are the Champions of Europe! - arguably the best club in the world! Scenes of tears and laughter can be seen all over the field. A sad and angry Henry gesticulates to the referee and a few Barca players about the way in which the game had been won! But all said and done, Barcelona had ended Arsenal's dream of the elusive trophy! On a day when Ronaldinho, Eto 'O and Henry were the talking point, I would say, Larsson made the difference between winning and losing. And Henry put in a fabulous performance to outshine Ronadinho. The Brazilian was not at his dazzling best. For the Gunners, the Cup which seemed in their grasp had eluded them at the final hurdle. But Henry and the Gunners will be and should be proud of what they had done here. Barcelona are worthy champions and they celebrate as Henry cuts a dejected figure on the field but in the end, Barcelona were deserved winners...As Puyol lifts the trophy high into the French sky!

Barcelona:Valdes, Oleguer (Belletti 71), Marquez, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst, Deco, Edmilson (Iniesta 45), Van Bommel
(Larsson 61), Giuly, Eto'o, Ronaldinho.
Subs Not Used: Jorquera, Motta, Xavi, Sylvinho.
Booked:Oleguer, Larsson.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Pires (Almunia 20), Silva, Fabregas (Flamini 74), Hleb (Reyes 85),
Ljungberg, Henry.
Subs Not Used: Bergkamp, Van Persie, Senderos, Clichy.
Booked:Eboue, Henry.
Sent Off:Lehmann (18)