Chelsea stuns Barcelona

Ten-man Chelsea battled to a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League semi-finals.

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Chelsea's Fernando Torres celebrates after scoring (AFP, Adrian Dennis)

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Chelsea stun Barcelona

BARCELONA (AFP) — Lionel Messi missed a penalty as holders Barcelona were sent crashing out of the Champions League semi-finals after 10-man Chelsea battled to a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou here Tuesday.

Chelsea, leading 1-0 from the first leg, snatched a 3-2 aggregate win on a night of extraordinary drama which saw the Premier League side recover from 2-0 down and the dismissal of captain John Terry to reach next month's Munich final.

Barcelona looked to be cruising to victory after goals from Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta put them 2-0 up in the first half either side of Terry's red card for a foul on Alexis Sanchez.

But a superb counter-attack and chip from Ramires put Chelsea ahead on away goals, and in the dying seconds substitute Fernando Torres completed an unlikely fightback to kill off an unforgettable contest.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi looks dejected after losing to Chelsea (AFP, Lluis Gene)

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo hailed his side's "incredible achievement" in reaching the final, where his side will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

"A lot of people had written us off and we showed again what kind of character these players have," Di Matteo said.

"We didn't expect to play with 10 men and we knew it was going to be tough. It was even more difficult than we expected.

"They're a great team, with some fantastic players. We just showed what we're made of."

Disappointed Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola attempted to strike a philosophical note after a traumatic exit.

"The first thing I feel is huge sadness," Guardiola said. "I think we played exceptionally well. We have done everything we possibly could to reach the final. Finals are great but we'll have to watch this one on TV.

"We have played well recently but it wasn't enough. Sometimes football is like this. This year it was not our turn. This year it seems like we could couldn't win."

stun – to surprise or shock somebody so much that they cannot think clearly or speak ทำให้ตะลึงงัน,  ทำให้งง
holder – the winner of a competition, i.e., the holder of the cup or trophy which is the symbol of the victory, in this the winner of the last Champion’s League competition แชมป์
semi-final (or semifinal) – one of the two games that are played immediately before the last game in a sports competition. The two people or teams who win the semifinals play each other in the last game, called the final, to decide who wins the competition  การแข่งขันกีฬารอบรองชนะเลิศ
battle – to try very hard to achieve something difficult or to deal with something unpleasant or dangerous ดิ้นรนต่อสู้, มุ่งมั่นฝ่าฟัน
draw – a game that ends with both teams or players having the same number of points เสมอกัน
leg – one part of a competition ผลัดหนึ่งในเกมการแข่งขันกีฬา
snatch – to take or get something quickly คว้า
aggregate – a total number or amount made up of smaller amounts that are collected together ผลรวม, ผลรวบยอด
extraordinary – very unusual and surprising เกินธรรมดา, ผิดธรรมดา
drama – something exciting or unusual that happens พฤติกรรมเกินจริง
recover – to become normal and healthy again ฟื้นฟูสภาพ
dismissal – forcing someone to leave their job, a competition, etc.  การไล่ออก
cruise – to win or achieve something easily
superb – of the highest quality ยอดเยีี่ยม
counter-attack – an attack made in response to the attack of an enemy or opponent in war, sport or an argument  การโต้ตอบ
chip – to hit or kick a ball so that it goes high into the air for a short distance
substitute – a player who replaces another member of his or her team during a match ตัวสำรอง
dejected – having lost hope or enthusiasm, especially because of having failed at something รู้สึกหมดหวัง
unlikely – not expected to happen; probably won’t happen ที่ไม่น่าจะเกิดขึ้น
hailed – said publicly how good something is; praised โห่ร้องสนับสนุน
incredible – surprising or difficult to believe  อย่างไม่น่าเชื่อ
achievement – something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing การบรรลุผลสำเร็จ
write off – to decide that someone or something will not succeed and so to stop giving them your attention and energy
character – all the qualities and features that make a person, groups of people, and places different from others; strong personal qualities such as the ability to deal with difficult or dangerous situations  ลักษณะพิเศษ
tough – difficult to do or to deal with ยาก  ยากลำบาก
fantastic – extremely good เยี่ยมยอด, วิเศษ
disappointed – unhappy because someone or something was not as good as you hoped or expected, or because something did not happen ผิดหวัง
strike a note – to try to say something with a particular feeling
philosophical – having a calm attitude towards a difficult or disappointing situation อย่างใจเย็น, อย่างเยือกเย็น, อย่างอดทน
traumatic – making you feel very upset, afraid, or shocked ซึ่งบอบช้ำทางจิตใจ
exceptional – much greater than usual, especially in skill, intelligence, quality, etc; unusually good ยอดเยี่ยม, ดีเป็นพิเศษ, ดีเด่น
turn – the time when somebody in a group of people should or is allowed to do something โอกาส