How Barcelona Became 2009 Champions of Europe

It's the second half of the second half of the final of the Champions League and Barcelona are 2-0 up in the biggest game in the history of the club against the reigning English, World, and European champions, Manchester United.

It is precisely at this point that 95 percent of club teams in world football would succumb to that temptation to just shut up shop.

But Barcelona are not just a club.

Suddenly, in an almost Carlos Alberto-like fashion (c. 1970) captain Carles Puyol pops up on the right wing to receive a delicately weighted ball by the maestro that is Xavi Hernandez following yet another mesmerizing passage of play from the Spanish champions...fortunately while he was not able to finish what would have been an extraordinary goal, the real damage had been before.

Needless to say, the daring and expressive ideals by which Pep Guardiola and his players have stood by through thin, and at times, even thinner, prevailed in this year's classic edition of the Champions League.

With this in mind, it's time to look back at the journey Barcelona took as they navigated what, on paper, seemed a tournament ripe for further English domination.

It all started in Group C for Barcelona. On paper, Barcelona drew a considerably favorable group with the Swiss champions Basel, the Ukranian champions Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Portugeese club Sporting Lisbon. Resounding victories in Basel (5-0) and Lisbon (5-2) were an omen of the brilliant attacking play that other teams were to later see (and fear) more of in La Liga and the 2009 CL.

Suffice to say Barcelona finished top of their group with a plus-10 goal difference while suffering their sole loss in this year's competition against Shakhtar (against which they played a weakened side having already qualified and against whom would later go on to win the last ever UEFA Cup.)

With the knockout rounds commencing in February, Barcelona were to next meet French champions Olympique Lyonnais. The first leg in France was to prove somewhat inconclusive with Henry returning to France to cancel out yet another of Juninho's specialty free kicks.

Of course, one of the enduring images from this tie was not of the events that were to transpire during the tie, but when the tie was actually drawn live at UEFA. Lyon officials (grown men, I presume) were clearly seen shaking their heads and letting out sighs of pain at the news they would face Barcelona...but these childish reactions were to be well-founded.

Barcelona destroyed Lyon 5-2 in the return leg, with Henry again proving he had no sympathy for some of his international teammates by scoring a brace, ending their dreams.

Next up were German champions and cup holders Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. In what was effectively to become the 45 minutes that ended Jurgen Klinnsman's comical tenure at Bayern, Barcelona scored four goals in another breathtaking display of class, technique, and daring at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona were through by halftime in the first leg.

A 1-1 dead rubber followed in Munich of course and preparations began in earnest for the coming semifinal clash with last year's unlucky finalists, English giants Chelsea, shortly after.

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