Barcelona 3 // Manchester United 1
Barcelona: Pedro 27', Messi 52', Villa 69'
Manchester United: Rooney 33'
Man of the match: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
LONDON // In the past three years only the combined might of Jose Mourinho and a volcano has stopped them.
Barcelona won their second Champions League title in three seasons last night, an achievement that might not statistically match the hat-tricks of titles won by Ajax and Bayern Munich in the seventies - or the five in a row Real Madrid won in the late fifties, but is surely its equal in quality.
Only last season's semi-final defeat to Internazionale blemishes Pep Guardiola's record, and that will always be asterisked by the fact Barca had to travel to Milan by bus after their flight was grounded by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland last summer.
This was another master-class.
Barca's domination perhaps wasn't quite so absolute as in Rome in the final two years ago, but they were significantly the better side, playing football of a tempo and precision that has surely never been matched.
Manchester United weren't willing patsies, and played their part in an enthralling game but by the end they were a broken side, resilient, industrious and yet utterly outclassed.
Having survived United's early onslaught, Barca went ahead after 27 minutes, a precise angled pass from Andres Iniesta finding Pedro, who finished neatly at Edwin van der Sar's near post.
United levelled seven minutes later with what was their only clear chance of the game, Wayne Rooney exchanging passes with Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs before sidefooting a finish into the top corner.
Any thought United might spring an upset, though, disappeared in the opening minutes of the second half. Barca were relentless, and United's defensive shape finally slipped, Messi finding room 30 yards out, teeing himself up with a short dart to his right and thrashing a shot past Van der Sar.
Outclassed, United looked exhausted, David Villa settled the game with a deft curler after 69 minutes.
sports@thenational.ae
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
