APRIL 8 — On my last trip to India I watched an in-flight movie titled “No One Killed Jessica.” It was about a model gunned down in cold blood in front of 300 people but no one saw it happen.
It is a Bollywood movie and it was apparently based on a true story.
And after watching Barcelona eliminate AC Milan in the mid-week Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday night, my question is, did anyone “kill” Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
Mind you, the word “kill” in football has a different meaning but “murdered” is more aptly used.
There were 99,000 people inside the Camp Nou who never “saw” Ibra. He allegedly played the entire 90 minutes though, I am told. Well, at least the match records say so.
The strange thing is that at least Robinho showed he was on the pitch with a silly tackle on Leo Messi. Incidentally, speaking of the record-breaker, how poor was Messi despite scoring two penalties!
Poor old Massimo Ambrosini could have saved his old legs from embarrassment as he struggled to keep his feet.
And what about Kevin Prince-Boateng’s seemingly “I’ll see you outside” threat to Javier Mascherano? The good thing was Prince-Boateng getting substituted soon after that.
All in all, it was good to see the back of this tie but Barcelona need to play better if they’re going to beat Chelsea in the semi-finals.
The London club played poorly in the second leg against a 10-man Benfica, and that certainly includes a howler from goalkeeper Petr Cech. Maybe his mind was already on Barcelona!
Looking at this semi-final — Barcelona vs Chelsea — though, it right away points to a massacre.
However, unlike previous meetings, the two-leg showdown will also show how each club has evolved.
The Catalan giants have progressed from those Jose Mourinho-fuelled Chelsea days when matches were so tight that Mourinho tried every trick in the book including accusing referees of siding with Barcelona.
He has not changed and neither has the club he left behind, unfortunately.
The Stamford Bridge faithful have seen their club put their faith in a core group of players, who are now senior players, rather than trust managers to evolve the club.
There is simply no margin for error as Barcelona will not accept another poor outing against a team that will most likely sit deep and defend.
Meanwhile, the Allianz Arena, home of German giants Bayern Munich, should see an epic semi-final clash before then hosting the final match of the Champions League next month.
Perhaps, the positives are that Bayern have an inclination to attack and this Real Madrid will welcome such an open and direct confrontation.
Will Real make it back to the city of Munich for the Final to inevitably face Barcelona in what could be the ultimate Clasico at a neutral venue played on non-Spanish soil, or will it be the Bavarians hosting the Catalans?
Whatever the final outcome, football just got better!
Happy Easter to all my Christian friends and readers.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
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