Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi ruined one of the greatest ever goals at Stamford Bridge
Today at 07:35 AM
Goals are only as good as the context they are scored in.
Take Frank Lampard, for example. He scored one of the greatest goals in World Cup history, audaciously chipping Manuel Neuer from outside the penalty area to equalise for England against Germany.
Nobody talks about that, though. Instead, they call Lampard the most wasteful England player in World Cup history, setting the record for most shots without ever scoring at the prestigious tournament.
Had Lampard taken that particular shot in the goal-line technology era, or in front of competent officials, history would remember his career very differently.
The same is true for Michael Essien, who scored one of the best goals in Champions League history, but nobody really cares. His one counted, too.
Why do we bring this up now? Well, Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta is expected to retire from football imminently, and it is largely his fault.
Tributes will pour in for one of football’s most legendary midfielders, whose unparalleled style helped guide Spain and Barcelona to wild success.
Iniesta could be the greatest midfielder that ever lived, but we want to have a different conversation – about a legacy that he ruined.
A night that should have belonged to Essien was cruelly stolen from him by Iniesta, Lionel Messi, and a shocking refereeing display.
Chelsea welcomed that iconic Barcelona team to Stamford Bridge in 2009 after years of heartbreak in the Champions League.
Having somehow ground out a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp in the semi-final first leg, the Blues had to overcome the old away-goal rule, along with a growing sense that fate was stacked against them.
From Luis Garcia’s ghost goal for Liverpool in 2004, to John Terry‘s penalty slip in Moscow, European football had brought nothing but pain for Chelsea fans.
But Stamford Bridge dared to dream when Essien delivered a thunderbolt in the ninth minute of the second-leg.
Remember Zinedine Zidane‘s left-footed volley in the 2002 Champions League final for Real Madrid? Of course you do. It won the game.
Essien’s strike was every bit as good, maybe even better.
Add more distance, more pressure on the ball, a running start, and the aesthetical beauty that comes with a ball that cannons in off the crossbar.
“It was an absolutely fantastic goal,” Lampard said after the game.
“It was top-drawer. A very special goal. And we thought that was going to win it for us.”
While Zidane’s strike lives on, Essien’s died before the final whistle.
Chelsea were denied four penalties by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, before Iniesta latched onto a Messi pass and smacked one into the top corner in stoppage time.
It sparked a furious reaction from Blues legend Didier Drogba, who infamously confronted Ovrebo at full-time and branded his performance a ‘f***ing disgrace’ to live TV cameras.
Two penalty claims for Florent Malouda and Drogba fell firmly in the ‘seen-them-given’ category, while handballs from Gerard Pique and Samuel Eto’o were stonewall.
Ovrebo, who later received death threats, went on to admit that he made a number of mistakes during the game.
Speaking eleven years later, ex-Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink revealed he was so appalled by the officiating that he suspected foul play.
Hiddink told Ziggo Sport: “The referee performance surprised me, because in the past he'd had perfect performances. Is it the worst refereeing I've ever seen? I think so.
“This is the only time I thought a match could've been fixed.”
It truly was an unforgettable game of football, one that Chelsea fans only overcame three years later.
Barcelona had always been the lead antagonists in Chelsea’s quest for Champions League glory, so it was only right that they would fall in the 2012 semi-final, when the Blues least deserved it.
Essien would never regain the credit that Iniesta snatched from him, but he did get a Champions League winner’s medal, when a Chelsea team that included Ryan Bertrand making his debut beat Bayern Munich in their own back yard.
Maybe there is a Football god after all.
