Inter, Barca battle to a goalless draw
Friday, 18 September 2009
MILAN, Italy, Sept 17 (AFP): Inter Milan held title-holders Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in their Champions League Group F opener at the San Siro on Wednesday in a match which failed to live up to pre-match hype.
The game was billed as a clash between Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, both playing against the team they left only two months ago, but neither they nor talents such as Lionel Messi and Xavi could break the deadlock in a turgid stalemate.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a big match between two European heavyweights so early in the competition it was a cagey affair dominated by defences.
Barca were quickly into their running, passing the ball around confidently.
The game was billed as a clash between Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, both playing against the team they left only two months ago, but neither they nor talents such as Lionel Messi and Xavi could break the deadlock in a turgid stalemate.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a big match between two European heavyweights so early in the competition it was a cagey affair dominated by defences.
Barca were quickly into their running, passing the ball around confidently.