Barcelona - Real Madrid Final Score 1-1: Not the Match Most Were Expecting

With the rain coming down, what was anticipated to be a slugfest turned out to be a defensive struggle at Camp Nou in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, as Barcelona and Real Madrid tied 1-1, but with Barcelona advancing on aggregate, 3-1.

Barcelona will be off to London to play the winner of Manchester United and Schalke 04 at Wembley Stadium on May 28th.

The goal scoring got started in the 55th minute, Andres Iniesta somehow slid the ball to a streaking Pedro, who scored on a one-on-one situation with Casillas.

Barcelona appeared to take a siesta after that, and didn't make a strong effort to attack. Pep Guardiola's squad seemed content with the score, and chose not to pour it on their rivals.

Real Madrid got their first goal of the series in the 64th minute when Angel Di Maria's left-footed shot hit the post, but came right back to him, and then fed a sliding Marcelo, who drilled it home for Los Galacticos.

Otherwise, Real Madrid didn't seem to make much of an effort to score. Barcelona had few opportunities to counter attack, as Real Madrid had trouble holding onto possession. It also seemed as though Barcelona was simply less aggressive in the second half.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas made some great lunging saves as Real Madrid weathered a late offensive charge from Barcelona in the first half. Lionel Messi, David Villa, and Sergio Busquets each had some quality opportunities to score, but simply couldn't get a good enough shot off.

Real Madrid didn't get a shot on goal in the first half, and finished with only four in the match.

After the 5-0 drumming Barcelona gave Real Madrid the last time the two clubs met at Camp Nou, the final score was a little surprising. Barcelona was favored going into the match, and a blowout victory seemed like a decent possibility.

As expected, Barcelona dominated time of possession, 69% to 31%. Real Madrid finished with 30 fouls in the match, compared to Barcelona with 10.

Before the Marcelo goal, Real Madrid didn't seem to be playing with the urgency of a team that desperately needed to score goals.

It took added time in the first half for Real Madrid to pick up their first corner kick.

For Barcelona, this is the club's seventh trip to the Champions League Final.