All in all, the UEFA Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which the latter won 3-1 on aggregate, was rather free of those exciting moments that make football truly memorable (in a good way, not in an 'Jose Mourinho you are a crazy angry man' sort of way). But there were still some.
VIDEO: Barcelona Players Celebrate With Eric Abidal
Lionel Messi's second goal at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg was one of them, the little striker weaving through five defenders before putting a bobbling finish past Iker Casillas. So too was Andres Iniesta's lovely through pass to Pedro, giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead in the second leg. But perhaps the most fun moment of both matches was the Barcelona players celebrating with substitute Eric Abidal after clinching their place in the final:
Abidal wasn’t being praised for his play, of course - he managed about three minutes of the 180 thought both games. Instead, this was a team reunited with an old friend, a poignant moment no matter how you slice it. Abidal had been absent since March when it was discovered that there was a tumour growing in his liver, and his return to action seven weeks later was as much something for his friends to celebrate as winning the tie was.
It’s nice to remember that the players are people as well as objects on the field, isn’t it?
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