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10 brave Blues, one silly boy
When David Beckham was savaged by the tabloid press after his red card for kicking out at Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup - with headlines including the inaccurately rehashed one above - his petulance cost his England team their place in the competition.
John Terry produced a similarly brainless and petty piece of off-the-ball skulduggery and was rightly punished with an early bath, but his reprieve came in the form of one of the great European performances from his gallant team-mates.
In the 37th minute Terry opted to give the unwitting Alexis Sanchez a kneeing in the back for seemingly no other reason than to mark his territory, before inexplicably citing a brazen dive and vowing to consult replays in the immediate aftermath.
Unfortunately for Terry, the replays showed nothing other than a blatant, needless attack on his opponent, one which left the forlorn captain watching his charges thrive in his absence and book their place in the Munich showpiece.
Moreover, Terry's "accident" came at a time that seemed to cause maximum damage to his team. Sergio Busquets had just levelled the tie on aggregate and Chelsea had already been forced into a central defensive readjustment after Gary Cahill was withdrawn in the 12th minute with a hamstring injury.
The armband-waving skipper initially refused to leave the field until he was escorted away by the colossal Petr Cech, who showed real leadership in stark contrast to the defender. It was an ignominious exit, utterly lacking in class.
Terry now has his very own Beckham moment to haunt him. It is a gargantuan blow to his carefully cultivated image as a brave and courageous, lion-hearted leader of men.
Chelsea's PR machine soon swung into action, granting the broadcasters immediate and direct access to Terry down by the dugout, where the haughty skipper claimed his kick on Sanchez was completely accidental and unfortunate. An apology followed later, but it smacked of a scripted climb-down.
But more on the 10 brave boys...
With a numerical disadvantage and without both starting centre-backs, Chelsea somehow managed to salvage a draw from two goals down against the best side in the world.
Should this go down as the greatest performance in the club's history, as Glenn Hoddle suggested in the immediate aftermath? Where does the result fit in among the best displays by English clubs in Europe?
In a pulsating match catering generously to even the most insatiable appetites for drama, it was the Chelsea players - minus the silly boy, of course - who kept their composure, their nerve and most importantly their tactical discipline under immense pressure.
Barcelona enjoyed 72 per cent possession and yet were restricted to just six shots on target. It was a repeat of the first leg, but in even more trying circumstances.
Make no mistake about it, this was arguably the greatest result in the club's history and one which may finally convince Roman Abramovich to make Roberto Di Matteo's appointment as manager permanent.
Forget the finer points of what Chelsea supporters may or may not be looking for in a manager; Di Matteo has led a quite stunning resurgence as a result of galvanising a group of previously sullen, disillusioned and disenchanted players.
The Italian deserves immense credit, as much as the likes of Branislav Ivanovic and Ramires deserve far greater respect and admiration after well and truly confounding their critics. Forget comparisons to Avram Grant: the players patently believe in Robbie and his methodology.
Di Matteo has inspired self-belief, confidence, determination and garnered a collective spirit and unity so palpably missing under the reign of the Israeli.
A Champions League final now awaits against either former boss Jose Mourinho or Bayern Munich and, such is the extent to which this Chelsea side have stunned the world with their two-leg victory over Barcelona, who is to say that the elusive trophy will not be theirs come May 19?
Given the way in which Di Matteo's men defied the reigning champions - without even the need for away goals after Torres's clinical finish - over two legs and 186 minutes of play, not even the most ardent Barcelona fan could justifiably suggest they do not deserve their place in the final.
They may have to contend with a spate of suspensions and a lack of defensive options, but Abramovich could yet see his elusive dream of a Champions League triumph realised after a remarkably unconvincing season.
And there will be no 'silly boy' around to knee anyone in the back or miss a vital penalty.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 21:07 - "I've not had one booking in the Champions League this season, and I did not do it deliberately. It's devastating, really." 22:35 - "I'm not that type of player to intentionally hurt anyone. I've raised my knee, which I maybe shouldn't have done in hindsight. But hopefully people who know me as a person, as a player... I'm not that type of player. I feel I've let them down. I've apologised to them and I want to apologise to the fans as well. At the time, I was bewildered because I was trying to protect myself a little bit but looking at it on the replay, I've no complaints. I've let the lads down." Terry's initial 'knee-jerk' reaction to reporters was, thankfully, not his final answer.
FOREIGN VIEW: Internazionale coach Andrea Stramaccioni begins to sound a bit like Andre Villas-Boas as he issues a rallying call to his players ahead of the must-win game at Udinese later today. "Those who don't believe it's possible for us to finish third, they can go ahead and jump ship. We have to fight: this has to be the spirit of all my players. This is very important for us and for them." Hopefully he has saved some emotional energy for his actual team-talk.
COMING UP: Follow live coverage of Real Madrid v Bayern Munich from 19.45, with the Special One looking to set up a dream final date with Chelsea. We also have a feast of Serie A action, our Big Brother-style 'Under the Microscope' video feature and blogs from Rafa Benitez, Arsene Wenger and expert Jim White.
