The Catalan side came out attacking and took an early 1-0 lead. John Terry, the captain of the opposing Chelsea team, was ejected a few moments later for a foolish foul. This gave Barca a one-player advantage for the remaining hour of play. Shortly thereafter, Barca scored its second goal to put them up 2-0. They were in the driver's seat and had overturned the 1-0 victory that Chelsea had earned against them 6 days earlier.
However, Chelsea quickly struck back with a goal of its own. While each team had scored the same number of goals between the two matches (2-2), Chelsea's "away goal" at Barca's stadium gave them the advantage since these count more than goals scored in one's own stadium.
Barca were stunned and looked like a prizefighter that had been knocked down for the very first time. Indeed, this is a club that had won 13 of 16 possible trophies they had contended for in the past three years under its current coach Pep Guardiola.
To their credit, Barca continued to attack, but it was to no avail. What had seemed effortless last season and even earlier this season - scoring one simple goal (that would have seen them through to the finals) - became impossible.
There are several explanations for why this occurred. First, the team has played an inhuman number of matches this season. Second, key figures have been or are still injured. Third, Chelsea was resolute in its defense. Finally, and most importantly, Barca had lost belief in itself.
No point in the match captured that loss of belief greater than when the great Messi missed a penalty. Nine times out of ten, Messi makes that shot. However, today he hit the bar. That thud drained any remaining hope from Messi, the Barca players, and fans worldwide. The players and we knew then that the universe was aligned squarely against us, and the players surely felt powerless in the face of that pressure. What a time to realize Camus' truths about the absurdity of life!
Why does this loss hurt so much you might ask? It is not merely a question of expectations and the belief that Barca was the better team. Rather, it is the belief that Barca's philosophy of play is how life and the game of soccer were meant to be- fluid, tireless, resolute, and passionate. Barca is the Gryffindor of soccer, the Rebel Alliance of soccer, and any other purely positive analogy that comes to mind.
Earlier this week, Barca lost another match - this time to its bitter rival Real Madrid that effectively ended Barca's campaign to win a fourth consecutive Spanish League title. Afterwards, my favorite player Andres Iniesta spoke for all cules (Barca fans) when he said, "Our soul hurts after this loss." The picture below of a disconsolate Messi captures this hurt better than any image I have seen today.
That our souls hurt after this loss means that the Barca philosophy is something worth fighting for.
Yes, it will be a very long off-season, but Barca will be back. How do I know this? Because this Barca like me gets up after it has been knocked down. This Barca is the team of my life!
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