I present you with the following...Guardian:
"72 mins: Chelsea substitution: Drogba off - and he shakes his head in dismay at that decision - and Belletti on. So Hiddink removes his most effective weapon and declares his intention to hold on for the 1-0 against 10 men? It would appear so."
"(Final thoughts): tactical genius Guss Hiddink's masterplan was to take off his most effective striker, and replace him with a defensive midfielder, against 10 men. "
"67 mins: RED CARD FOR ABIDAL Drogba flicked on a long ball, Anelka set off in pursuit and Abidal collided with him, preventing him from entering the box. Not sure how intentional that was, or even if the contact was sufficient to send Anelka crumpling. The replay suggested Anelka's trailing foot connected with Abidal's accidentally. Harsh on Abidal."
Soccernet:
"67'Everyone seems to agree that was harsh. Toure may well have got across before Anelka got onto the end of his touch anyway. Still, Barca are down to ten and need a goal.
66'Abidal sees red after Anelka takes the ball from a Drogba flilck on. He may have inadvertently
clipped Anelka's heels but there didn't look much contact.""(Post-whistle): 98'Drogba's behaviour there was utterly disgraceful, pushing away security guards to try and get at the referee. Tell you what Didier, it wouldn't have mattered had you not slotted that brilliant chance in the second half. I hope they throw the book at him."
"(Post-whistle): Chelsea will point to two decent penalty shouts, but they had enough chances to win it during the game."
Sky Sports:
"66 Anelka falls to the ground after trying to race away from Abidal in order to reach Drogba's flick-on. The referee awards a free-kick to Chelsea and decides to send-off the Barcelona defender. It looks like a slightly harsh decision from the official."
London Times:
"95 mins: Ballack booked for desperate and ridiculous penalty appeal. "
I'm not saying that Chelsea didn't get denied at least one clear-cut penalty (Pique's handball in the 82nd minute), but those penalty claims they did have came after Abidal's very questionable sending off. When you're playing against a 10-man side, it's only natural that you will produce more opportunities than otherwise, and that there is a higher probability of a penalty being called or asked for. Considering that Barcelona was hard done by to go down a man to begin with, I'd proffer that the officiating was equally bad going both ways, and that it comes out in the wash. Ultimately, the match came down to two incredible goals, and Drogba's horrifying miss in the 52nd minute.
What do you think?
