Barcelona/Chelsea: Match with Everything, Except Sensible Media Coverage...

In the same fashion as the post-match hysteria concerning the tunnel fracas between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira before the United/Arsenal Premier League match earlier this season at Highbury, the tussels and accusations after the completion of the thrilling Champions League tie between Barcelona and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge are overshadowing events on the pitch. And while there is plenty of blame to be apportioned to players and managerial staffs on both teams, once again, it is the British media that is responsible for gleefully trumpeting the postmatch confrontations as if they were more important than the game itself.

Quite simply, Chelsea ruthlessly tore Barcelona apart in the first twenty minutes, punishing glaring mistakes by Barcelona to take a surreal 3-0 advantage. For a match which everyone expected would be a tight affair, three goals in the first twenty minutes, all for Chelsea, was an incredible start. And Barcelona played their part too, clawing their way back into the game by keeping the ball, and a couple of moments of brilliance from Ronaldinho turned the tie completely on its head. His second goal, cheekiness personified, is one which I doubt I will ever see the equivalent to; no one else would dare try it.

And yet, Chelsea dragged themselves back, riding the amazing form of Petr Cech, who denied Barcelona the game-killing third away goal repeatedly, and won with one of their chief weapons this season, the well-rehearsed set piece, in the corner to Terry variation.

An absolutely amazing, pulsating ninety minutes of football, with lead changes, brilliant skill, vicious finishing, plenty of hard tackling and direct running, in short, everything that makes a football match worth watching.

And what we're given as "coverage" is:

1) A confrontation for Ronaldinho
2) Eto'o claiming he was racially abused by a Chelsea steward
3) Long quotes from Jose Mourinho about how he regarded the game

Maybe the press aren't interested in the football any longer. Maybe the football is a mere backdrop to the Reality TV nonsense masquerading as sports coverage peddled by the papers, internet sites, and television channels...