The hardest match

Red Card

Thiago Motta might think he was unlucky to be shown a straight red card after catching Busquets in the face. I don't. Referees are under instruction to dismiss players who raise their arms and strike opponents heads; it is potentially very dangerous and it is correct to clamp down on such unnecessary behaviour. While in this instance it might seem harsh, de Bleeckere, who is not afraid to make the big calls, was absolutely right to produce a red card.

Pique Goal

Maybe he was offside when he first received the ball. Maybe Muntari was playing him onside. The replay was from a poor camera angle, making it impossible to tell. In either case it was incredibly tight, and the benefit of the doubt went to the attacking team in accordance with the spirit of the game.

Bojan non-goal

Bojan scored in the 92nd minute, Barcelona had won. But no, Frank de Bleeckere's whistle had gone - the ball had struck Toure's hand. This was the hardest decision of the match. The ball was struck hard at Toure from short range - he couldn't have got his hand out of the way. But his hand wasn't by his side, and this immediately triggers the 'handball alarm' in the referee's mind - if the hand is in an unnatural position and the ball strikes it then that is an offence under the current interpretation of the laws. That is what de Bleeckere probably made his decision on. I think it is hard to be right or wrong about this one, and you can make equally compelling cases for both points of view. I have massive sympathy for de Bleeckere in this case, and will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Foul recognition

There were a lot of fouls - 35 in total. He had to keep a tight grip on proceedings, and the match was very fractious so I agree with him stopping play for more minor offences than he would normally. Certainly he allowed absolutely no contact in the box. He did allow a bit more contact in the middle of the park which was a little inconsistent. Barcelona should have received more cards for persistent infringement.

Time wasting

Naturally Inter wasted a lot of time, especially at goal kicks and offsides. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar was constantly reminded to hurry up, and by giving him an early yellow card de Bleeckere ensured that he could not be too excessive with his delaying tctics for fear of picking up another booking.

Other decisions

With so much to concentrate on, so many other decisions to make, it is hardly surprising that de Bleeckere got some so-called less important decisions wrong. Four goal kick/corners and three throw ins were awarded to the wrong team, which is simply too many. The nearside assistant awarded a number of phantom free kicks.

Overall performance

This match was very testing. Inter's resilient defence meant a lot of players and constant flurry of activity in the Inter penalty box. Frank was generally in a good position and thus able to sell his decisions. He seemed prepared to explain his decisions, which the players responded well to, though he adopted a no nonsense approach to dissent. He was calm and methodical at free kicks, although he could perhaps have let the game flow a little better. He was not afraid of making big decisions and being unpopular. After the match he was proactive and prevented Valdes from confronting Mourinho. Ultimately, he wasn't perfect in this match. But no one could have been and I think he deserves a lot of credit for this performance.