Late Barca brace sinks gallant Gunners

Ten-man Arsenal denied Champions League triumph

Butcher moves to Oz

—- Arsenal, who play most of the game with only ten men, are denied a remarkable victory in the Champions League Final as Barcelona score two late goals.
The Gunners go into the game with a competition record of ten consecutive clean sheets, and their defensive qualities are tested to the full as keeper Jens Lehmann is sent-off after only 18 minutes.
At least referee Terge Hauge doesn’t allow Ludiovic Guily’s goal to stand, so Lehmann remains unbeaten for 763 minutes of play - a Champions League record.
Against the odds, the game takes another unlikely twist on 37 minutes when Sol Campbell heads home Thierry Henry’s free-kick to give Arsenal the lead. It’s the England centre-back’s first in the competition.
For much of the remainder of the Final, Barca set siege to the Gunners goal.
As the rain pours down in Paris, Arsenal finally crack after wave after wave of attack when Samuel Eto’o finds a way past the impressive Manuel Almunia on 76 minutes.
It’s the first Champions League goal Arsenal have conceded in 995 minutes and, in the fine tradition of London buses, predictably it’s not too long before another one comes along.
Four minutes later, Juliano Belletti combines with fellow substitute Henrik Larsson to fire home the winner. It’s the Brazilian right-back’s first-ever goal for Barca.
As a postscript, with former Celtic striker Larsson making a notable difference after he came on on the hour, Barcelona’s win means that Celtic go straight in to the group stages of next season’s Champions League without having to go through the qualifying rounds.

—- With Norwegian official Ole Hermann Borgan replaced as one of the assistant referees before the game after being pictured in a Barcelona shirt, Arsenal captain Thierry Henry - in an uncharacteristic show of frustration - believes referee Terge Hauge may have been guilty of also favouring the new European champions.
Playing in his home city, the French superstar rants: “I’m not usually a troublemaker, but I’ve just seen the television and Eto’o’s goal was offside.
“I was kicked all over the place. I expected the referee to do his job. I don’t think he did. We can be proud, we can be more than proud but, I’m sorry, some of the refereeing today was horrendous.”
Henry’s future remains the subject of much speculation but the widely expected move to Barcelona seems less likely after he makes less than complementary remarks about some of his would-be new team mates.

—- Former England captain Terry Butcher is the new boss of Sydney FC in Australia’s A-League.
The Motherwell manger leaves Fir Park with a two-year contract. He is replaced by his assistant, Maurice Malpas.
Ironically, Butcher made his England debut in 1980 in a 2-1 win over Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

—- Yeovil Town announce that manager Steve Thompson is to revert to his role as first team coach.
He took over from Gary Johnson in September and kept the Somerset club in League One.

—- Fulham resign from Nationwide Women’s Premier League and disband their once all-conquering ladies team. They had become Europe’s first professional team in April 2000, and won the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in 2003.
The decision was made because the team is no longer financially viable.
An official statement laments: “With little media profile and poor league crowds the structure is not sustainable.”