Chelsea earned a dramatic 2-2 draw at Barcelona, despite the first-half sending off of captain John Terry, to secure a 3-2 aggregate triumph and advance to the Champions League final.
Sergio Busquets brought Barcelona back on terms on aggregate on 35 minutes when tapping home into a virtually unguarded net after the Blues defense failed to clear a corner.
Chelsea's hopes looked all but over less than two minutes later when Terry was given his marching orders for a petulant knee into the back of Alexis Sánchez.
And the home side looked to be on course for the final when Andrés Iniesta calmly finished from a Lionel Messi through-ball just before half-time.
But Ramires grabbed a crucial away goal for Chelsea seconds before the break, producing a sublime first-time lob over Víctor Valdés after being released by Frank Lampard.
Messi missed a glorious opportunity to put Barcelona back in front at the start of the second half, smashing his penalty against the crossbar after Didier Drogba mistimed his tackle on Cesc Fàbregas inside the area.
And then, in stoppage-time, a long clearance found substitute Fernando Torres clean through with space to burn, rounding Valdés and slotting home to spark scenes of utter delirium.
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| Chelsea forward Fernando Torres jumps over Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés before scoring Photo: Getty Images |
Sergio Busquets brought Barcelona back on terms on aggregate on 35 minutes when tapping home into a virtually unguarded net after the Blues defense failed to clear a corner.
Chelsea's hopes looked all but over less than two minutes later when Terry was given his marching orders for a petulant knee into the back of Alexis Sánchez.
And the home side looked to be on course for the final when Andrés Iniesta calmly finished from a Lionel Messi through-ball just before half-time.
But Ramires grabbed a crucial away goal for Chelsea seconds before the break, producing a sublime first-time lob over Víctor Valdés after being released by Frank Lampard.
Messi missed a glorious opportunity to put Barcelona back in front at the start of the second half, smashing his penalty against the crossbar after Didier Drogba mistimed his tackle on Cesc Fàbregas inside the area.
And then, in stoppage-time, a long clearance found substitute Fernando Torres clean through with space to burn, rounding Valdés and slotting home to spark scenes of utter delirium.
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