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London's "Arsenal" goalkeeper Jens Lehmann became the first player to receive a red card in the entire history of Champions League finals when he was sent off in the 19th minute of the match against Barcelona.
During the match at the Stade de France in Paris, the German clashed with Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o when the Cameroonian broke away alone against J. Lehmann. Eto'o managed to stay on his feet and pass the ball to his teammate Ludovic Giuly, who scored a goal, but the referee decided to send off the "Arsenal" goalkeeper instead of awarding the goal and gave a penalty kick against the "Gunners".
Nevertheless, "Arsenal" managed to score a goal but later collapsed in the game and conceded victory to their opponents. England club's substitute goalkeeper Manuel Almunia failed to protect his goal.
After the match, Jens Lehmann commented on the game, not hiding his anger and disappointment.
"It's evident that what happened in the 20th minute is tragic. I was a moment too late to reach Samuel Eto'o, and I paid dearly for it. Nevertheless, I am pleased with the performance of my teammates. Even being down to ten men, they gave us hope of winning. Unfortunately, the opponents scored from a distance. It was a huge blow to our team after so much hard work."
"I understand that now everyone will blame me for the team's failure. But what can I do? Curse myself and take responsibility for the team's failures? I just made a small mistake. But of course, as always, goalkeepers are criticized the most harshly. I myself am upset with such an outcome of the match. However, life goes on, and we must accept this defeat," shared J. Lehmann his thoughts.
