Sir Alex Ferguson’s dream of becoming the first manager to retain the Champions League perished last night at the hands of an outstanding Barcelona team who made history of their own.

Goals in each half from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi were enough to give Pep Guardiola’s side a 2-0 victory that their performance thoroughly merited, making them the first Spanish club to complete a treble of league, domestic cup and European Cup.

United secured a treble of their own ten years ago on an unforgettable night in Barcelona, but Ferguson’s latest side were unable to match those heroics. The Scot had said that lifting the European Cup is a prerequisite for any team with aspirations for greatness and by his own exacting standards, United fell short.

“We started the game brightly and were confident, we played well and could have been in front, but it was a killer first goal and they used it very well,” Ferguson said. “They were the better team. They were two bad goals to lose, particularly at this level. We’ve really excelled this season at defending, but they were very shoddy goals.

“I don’t think we played as well as we can, but we were playing against a good team and you’ve got to give them credit. They can keep the ball all night. We have to come back for this next season — that’s what we do as a football club. We have to accept we’ve been beaten by a better team and that next season we have to be better ourselves.”

Rio Ferdinand, the United defender, echoed Ferguson’s comments. “There are no excuses — Barcelona were the better team,” he said.

Ferguson has viewed the Champions League as some sort of holy grail throughout the past decade and will bitterly regret United’s failure to establish themselves among the European elite by winning the trophy for a fourth time. Much will be made of his attacking team selection, a gamble that backfired as United were overrun in midfield, but he was gracious enough to acknowledge the mastery of Barcelona, who finished the best season in their history in fine style.

“I’ve been waiting for so long to get this title and finally it has happened today,” Thierry Henry, a beaten finalist with Arsenal against Barcelona three years ago, said. “The last five minutes felt like the longest moments of my life. You never know what can happen and we were playing against the best team of the world.”

Matt Hughes, The Times, 27.05.09

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article6374611.ece