18 Dec 2006(Mon)

Tokyo, December 15, 2006: Thank goodness for Barcelona. And thank goodness for Ronaldinho in particular.

Wasn’t that a wonderful evening’s entertainment at rainy Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on Thursday? When the match kicked off I was a bit worried because there was a distinct lack of atmosphere in the stadium, despite the fact over 62,000 people were inside.

Even at half-time it was still too quiet, the audience very polite and restrained as if they were attending a performance by a symphony orchestra in a concert hall.

When the final whistle blew, though, it was like being at a proper football match. The crowd had got into it, the Barca fans were full of pride and the neutrals full of admiration for a dazzling display.

At times in the second half it was like an exhibition match, rather than the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup, as Barca tormented their Mexican rivals with some bright, fast and controlled attacking football.

The first goal, however, was not football; it was art, a beautiful painting full of sweeping brush strokes and a riot of colour on a green canvas. Ronaldinho's back-heel, the intricate play of Iniesta, the precise finish of Gudjohnsen.

My favourite Barca player, Rafael Marquez, headed the second, and then produced an unusual celebration by sucking his thumb -- maybe to suggest his header was as easy as taking candy off a baby!

The third goal was what most people had come to see, as Ronaldinho collected a loose ball in a crowded penalty, showed composure and technique and made the finish look easy, curling it into the corner. It was a wonderful piece of individual skill, and provided a lesson for all players how to keep calm and keep focused when the goal is beckoning.

As for the fourth…well, what is there to say? A swift Barca counter, a lay-off from Ronaldinho after getting crowded out on the edge of the box, and a magnificent drive from Deco into the far corner. Again, textbook technique. I thought Deco had a fine game, staying on his feet and using all his ball skills and vision to keep the America defence on the back foot.

There was just time for Ronaldinho to hit the crossbar with that exquisite chip in injury time after another mazy dribble, and on that high note the match ended. By now the fans had lost their earlier inhibitions and were ready to show their appreciation.

Having been to several Toyota Cup matches over the years, it is not easy for teams to inject energy and passion into the crowd, but Barca achieved this in their own impressive style and set the stage for the final on Sunday.

Apart from the play and the goals, what stays in my mind most from Thursday’s visit to Yokohama was the noise of the crowd at the beginning and at the end of the match. Barca had won convincingly, on and off the pitch.

ends