It was an absolute pleasure today to watch the dynamic match between Sevilla and Barcelona, which was a good advert for Spanish football despite the three red cards and passion on display.

Some of the things I found incredible were:

  • In the first minute of the match, Barcelona began an uninterrupted passing movement that featured 32 passes from the Catalans. While I’m a big fan of GolTV commentators Phil Schoen and Ray Hudson, the two of them incredibly failed to notice this amazing feat. Instead, Ray talked non-stop right through all of the passes by building up the background and excitement for this clash instead of concentrating on what was happening on the pitch.

    Maybe it’s time for GolTV to do a proper build-up to matches and allow Schoen and Hudson five minutes before kick-off to educate the viewer about the match — instead of using the first few minutes of the actual game?

  • Barcelona’s first goal was brilliant. Giuly beat the offside trap down the right wing and floated in a beautiful cross before the ball touched the byline, which was headed in with precision by, of all people, Ronaldinho. Hudson declared it the best header the world has ever seen. It was a piece of art, but I’m not sure it was that good.
  • Sevilla looked good and came back against all of the odds with goals by Alexander Kerzhakov and a free kick by Daniel Alves. It was Kerzhakov who won the free kick for Sevilla outside the box. How Chelsea have overlooked this chap, I don’t know, but don’t be surprised if you hear his name again in this summer’s transfer window