What a Dreary Dish to Set Before the Fans

Sometimes even the Champions League takes the fans’ money under false pretenses.

Wednesday night at the San Siro was meant to be a classic, and turned into a goalless stalemate between Inter Milan and Barcelona in front of 77,321 customers.

The same 90 minutes in Belgium provided five goals in which Arsenal came from two down in the opening minutes to beat Standard Liege, 3-2.

Goals, it’s true, do not by themselves denote quality. But they are the purpose of the game, and as much as Liege has nothing to show for it by way of points, its players at least sent the fans home with the knowledge that they tried, they dared to take on superior foes, and they just ran out of stamina and luck in the end.

If we are wise, we will trust what we see rather than what the media-savvy managers tell us.

“Looking at the result, you might think zero-zero was not a great match. ” José Mourinho, the Inter coach, told television viewers from Milan. “But those who understand football and are able to analyze the true essence of the match can understand the importance of it.”