Barcelona and Milan return to light up European stage

By the standards of a broadcaster that often dubs the most routine of weekend Premier League games as ‘Super Sunday’, it was quite an understated way to welcome back a competition that is, under its current guise, now in its 20th year.

Nevertheless, it still let the viewers at home know that a treat was in the offing.

During the near two decades that have passed since the European Cup disappeared from world football’s roster, the Champions League has grown into arguably the most glamorous club competition in the world. This is, of course, why Sky, who share the rights for live transmission in this country with ITV, were so keen to trumpet its return earlier this week.

Usually, the Champions League is a competition I try to avoid until the ‘real’ action comes around in the New Year with the advent of the knockout stage.

Until then, many of the games are hugely predictable with the overblown format being so geared towards the big clubs – and, in turn, the television companies willing to pay the most to UEFA to show the games – that genuine shocks are usually only conspicuous by their absence.

Inter Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid et al may suffer the odd reverse before the turn of the year but they invariably make it through to the second round – which, bearing in mind that the make-up of the Champions League means it takes 64 games to eliminate just 16 teams, is perhaps not a surprise.

This, together with the group stage games often coinciding with a full programme of Yorkshire football, is why I choose to opt out of tuning in until the ties are settled over two legs. On Tuesday night, however, I made an exception. Not only had I been granted the night off by the powers-that-be at the Yorkshire Post but one game in particular had leapt out at me from the moment the draw was made. Barcelona v AC Milan in the Nou Camp.

Never mind that I’d wager the Sutcliffe mortgage on these two clubs emerging successfully from Group H come December as Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov do battle for third place and a second bite of the cherry in the Europa League.

No, this was a chance to sit and watch two of European football’s giants go head-to-head in one of the world’s great stadia.

It promised to be a treat. And it was, as goals for Milan in the first and last minutes were enough to earn a 2-2 draw against the current holders.

Those strikes – by Alexander Pato and Thiago Silva – told only a fraction of the story, however, as two sides with hugely contrasting approaches to the game fought out a classic encounter.

This was never better illustrated than in the 55th minute when sublime skill from Lionel Messi saw the Argentinian ghost through the Milan defence before, just as he shaped to shoot, being halted by a perfectly-timed tackle from Alexander Nesta. It was a passage of play that was every bit as engrossing to this viewer as any of the four goals.

The first of those had come after just 23 seconds through Pato. Barcelona then responded in fine style as Messi displayed once again why he is the best footballer on the planet right now. His run and cross for Pedro to equalise with a tap-in was an example of a player really being unstoppable, the Milan trio of Mark van Bommel, Alessandro Nesta and Ignazio Abate all being the victims of Messi’s majesty.

David Villa put the home side in front shortly after half-time and that looked like being that only for sloppy marking – Barcelona’s less than convincing defence being the one glimmer of hope for Pep Guardiola’s rivals – to allow Silva to head a late equaliser from Clarence Seedorf’s corner.

Being pegged back may have been tough on Barcelona but Silva’s late goal did cap what had been a wonderful night’s entertainment for the neutrals and leave at least one viewer in Yorkshire eagerly looking forward to the return in the San Siro on November 23.