Another substitution for Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, and this one is more symbolic than tactical. Semi-injured captain Carles Puyol makes an appearance for the hugely influential Dani Alves, and he'll be able to lift the Champions League trophy in just a few minutes, which must be a nice little feeling.
UEFA Champions League Final 2011: Barcelona Make Flurry Of Substitutions, Then Win 3-1
Manchester United are doing all of the attacking now (when they're not being frustrated to death, that is), but Barcelona are defending very well and the Premier League champions really don't look like they're going to score given ninety minutes. They don't have ninety minutes - they have three minutes of injury time and need two goals, which is simply not going to happen. Andres Iniesta tried to make it 4-1 with a first time chipped shot on a rare foray forward by Barcelona, but Edwin van der Sar was up to the effort. Too little too late, though. Ibrahim Affelay comes in for goalscorer Pedro.
This game’s going to end 3-1, and yep, it has. That’s it - Barcelona are champions of Europe once more. Nobody can say it wasn’t well deserved. Manchester United, an excellent team, were simply taken to the cleaners by an unstoppable Barcelona. Really impressive stuff from the Catalans. Congratulations are in order.
For news, opinion, and feature articles leading up to the UEFA Champions League final, bookmark this StoryStream and check it often. We’ll have new posts right here throughout the week, during the game, and after the game. For more on the entire world of football, check out SB Nation Soccer. Manchester United fans should head over to The Busby Babe, while Barcelona fans should check out Barca Blaugranes.
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