Wednesday 14 September 2011
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ShareBarcelona coach Pep Guardiola was satisfied with his players' efforts after they opened their UEFA Champions League defence with a 2-2 draw against AC Milan at Camp Nou. Thiago Silva's stoppage-time equaliser snatched a point for the Serie A side, who had also started the match in stunning fashion with Alexandre Pato netting in the opening 30 seconds before Barça turned the game around through goals from Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa.
Guardiola could not fault his team, though. "They worked hard in terms of structure and play," he said. "Milan couldn't get across the halfway line. We were Barça. We played as we always have done - trying to play football, shooting... everything we were supposed to do to win.
"We managed to hold Milan back. It was a more than acceptable performance. Only little things were missing, and they did score in the first minute.
"They only attacked two and a half times, but these things happen in football. We have to be more careful and we'll be looking to correct things. We didn't lose and there are five games left."
Barcelona let a 2-0 lead slip to draw 2-2 with Real Sociedad in their second 2011/12 La Liga game at the weekend, but Guardiola remains fully behind his squad.
"I have no doubts about these players, you know that," he said. "If these players have shown one thing it is that nobody works harder than them. I sense that they know how difficult this is. It gets harder every time."
Valdez urges improvement, rues Iniesta injuryGoalkeeper Victor Valdes agreed with his coach that Barcelona must learn lessons from last night. "It was not a result we liked and the draw certainly came as a disappointment," he said.
"We need to learn and even more so in dead-ball situations. We have to analyse and learn from our mistakes, and make sure they don't happen again. We need to pick ourselves up quickly because we have a league match to come (against Osasuna on Saturday). This has only just started."
Valdes also expressed his sadness for midfielder Andres Iniesta, who will be sidelined for around a month after suffering a hamstring injury last night. "It was the worst news of the day," he said. "It was nasty shock but I hope he recovers as quickly as possible."
Guardiola could not fault his team, though. "They worked hard in terms of structure and play," he said. "Milan couldn't get across the halfway line. We were Barça. We played as we always have done - trying to play football, shooting... everything we were supposed to do to win.
"We managed to hold Milan back. It was a more than acceptable performance. Only little things were missing, and they did score in the first minute.
Milan couldn't get across the halfway line. It was a more than acceptable performance. Only little things were missing, and they did score in the first minute.
Pep Guardiola
"They only attacked two and a half times, but these things happen in football. We have to be more careful and we'll be looking to correct things. We didn't lose and there are five games left."
Barcelona let a 2-0 lead slip to draw 2-2 with Real Sociedad in their second 2011/12 La Liga game at the weekend, but Guardiola remains fully behind his squad.
"I have no doubts about these players, you know that," he said. "If these players have shown one thing it is that nobody works harder than them. I sense that they know how difficult this is. It gets harder every time."
Valdez urges improvement, rues Iniesta injuryGoalkeeper Victor Valdes agreed with his coach that Barcelona must learn lessons from last night. "It was not a result we liked and the draw certainly came as a disappointment," he said.
"We need to learn and even more so in dead-ball situations. We have to analyse and learn from our mistakes, and make sure they don't happen again. We need to pick ourselves up quickly because we have a league match to come (against Osasuna on Saturday). This has only just started."
Valdes also expressed his sadness for midfielder Andres Iniesta, who will be sidelined for around a month after suffering a hamstring injury last night. "It was the worst news of the day," he said. "It was nasty shock but I hope he recovers as quickly as possible."
Last-gasp Milan deny Barça: 2-2 with AC Milan at home
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Thiago Silva headed in a last-gasp equaliser to snatch AC Milan a battling 2-2 draw with UEFA Champions League holders Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
Milan had started the match in stunning fashion with Alexandre Pato netting in the opening 30 seconds, but Barça turned the game around and looked to be on course to claim the win thanks to goals from Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa.
However, Pep Guardiola's men could not find a third goal to wrap up the win and they were stunned two minutes into injury time when Thiago Silva powered home Clarence Seedorf's corner to salvage a point for seven-time European champions Milan.
"This result will give us the incentive and the wish to respond and repeat what we have achieved before by beating the best teams in Europe," said Guardiola. "This team has won an incredible lot but when you start off again there are things that need adjusting.
"This will serve as something for the team to learn from as Milan only had two-and-a-half chances but scored twice. I am happy but there are things I need to consider. We played well although we needed a third goal to kill the match off but it is not easy when the rival sits so far back."
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri admitted that his team were fortunate. "We did not hide after going 2-1 down and in the end we got a reward from winning that corner," he said.
"We started well but then Barcelona took over the match and while my players did well in closing down the spaces we created few chances in the second half. Of course we have been lucky but one of the attractions of football is that sometimes you lose when you don't deserve to and sometimes you win when you don't deserve it."
"This will serve as something for the team to learn from as Milan only had two-and-a-half chances but scored twice. I am happy but there are things I need to consider. We played well although we needed a third goal to kill the match off but it is not easy when the rival sits so far back."
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri admitted that his team were fortunate. "We did not hide after going 2-1 down and in the end we got a reward from winning that corner," he said.
"We started well but then Barcelona took over the match and while my players did well in closing down the spaces we created few chances in the second half. Of course we have been lucky but one of the attractions of football is that sometimes you lose when you don't deserve to and sometimes you win when you don't deserve it."
Rossoneri's perfect start
The Italian champions could hardly have had a better start with Pato scoring soon after kick-off. Barcelona had again started without their first-choice central defensive partnership of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, and the makeshift pairing of Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets were badly exposed by the speedy Pato.
The Italian champions could hardly have had a better start with Pato scoring soon after kick-off. Barcelona had again started without their first-choice central defensive partnership of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, and the makeshift pairing of Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets were badly exposed by the speedy Pato.
The Brazilian picked up possession near the centre circle and then, as the Barça defence converged on him, he pushed the ball into space behind the home backline before racing through and slotting his shot under Victor Valdes from the edge of the area.
That was a remarkable start to the clash between the two European superpowers, and it sparked Barcelona into an almost relentless onslaught on the Milan goal as they went in search of an equaliser.
Villa shot into the side netting, but it was Messi who was at the heart of Barcelona's fightback attempt, the Argentinian superstar having a shot turned behind by Christian Abbiati before seeing a dipping, curling free-kick hit the outside of the post.
Messi also brought another two saves out of Abbiati after Villa had sent an acrobatic volley over the crossbar. During that spell, Milan briefly threatened on the counter-attack, but Kevin-Prince Boateng blazed over from a decent opening on the right of the area.
Milan's rearguard was finally breached in the 36th minute when Barça drew level, with Messi again taking centre stage.
Milan defender Ignazio Abate looked favourite to reach the ball as Messi tried to go past him, but the diminutive playmaker did superbly to burst past the full-back before poking a pass across the face of goal, where the unmarked Pedro was on hand to tap in at the far post.
Barcelona then suffered a setback just before half-time when Andres Iniesta limped off injured, but his replacement was the in-form Cesc Fabregas.
While Milan were quickest out of the blocks at the start of the game, it was Barça who enjoyed the much better start in the second period.
Xavi brought a fine diving save out of Abbiati before the home side took the lead in the 49th minute through a brilliant free-kick from Villa, the Spanish international finding the top corner from almost 30 yards out.
That goal was good enough to win any match and it looked like settling this contest as Milan, despite going close with a 72nd-minute header from Pato that was saved by Valdes, still trailed as the match entered injury time.
However, there was to be a late twist as, after Milan had won a corner on the right, Thiago Silva climbed highest in the middle of the Barcelona area to head Seedorf's cross past Valdes.
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