Last-gasp goal validates Barca's purist approach

By Mitch Phillips - Analysis

LONDON (Reuters) - With the clock on 93 minutes and Chelsea with one foot and more in the final Barcelona still had not managed a shot on goal in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Yet, right to the death they kept the faith, continuing to work the ball around with that mesmerising technique, and were rewarded with an Andres Iniesta strike that earned them a 1-1 draw, victory on away goals and a place in the final.

Barcelona, who complained about Chelsea's spoiling approach in the first leg, can now hold the game up as validation of their approach.

Incredibly, the team who have scored almost 150 goals this season, who hammered six past Real Madrid on Saturday, who boast some of the cream of the world's attacking talent, had not mustered a single shot on goal.

They were about to exit the Champions League on a 1-0 aggregate to an English team for the second successive season following last year's defeat at the same stage by Manchester United.

Down to 10 men, the home crowd celebrating, even the pass-masters of European football could have been forgiven if they had resorted to throwing long balls into the box.

They worked the ball out wide and when Michael Essien half-cleared to Lionel Messi, who had again been a peripheral figure in the game he was expected to stamp his mark on, the Argentine maestro did not panic.

With the whole ground expecting him to cut in and shoot he instead picked out Iniesta lurking on the edge of the box.