Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona: Late Iniesta strike sees return of Blues curse

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The pain will live on, even when the anger and indignation simmers down.

The anguish will still be too much to bear, perhaps, for some of them to stay around for another crack at it.

But while Didier Drogba's outrageous antics overshadowed the astonishing finale to a night of sheer, unadulterated tension, maybe Frank Lampard was right.

When it comes to the Champions League, perhaps, Chelsea truly are cursed, even when the 'Golden Guus' is at the helm.

Cursed to come within touching distance time and again, only for their dreams to crumble into dust.

Cursed to be hit where it hurts out of nowhere - Claudio Ranieri's Tinkering in Monaco, Luis Garcia's 'ghost goal' at Anfield, John Terry's horror slip in Moscow.

Cursed, cursed, and cursed again.

And none more heartbreaking, more soul-destroying, more hard to bear than the one dealt by Andres Iniesta as the victory chants were echoing round Stamford Bridge.

For 183 minutes, at the Nou Camp and back at the Bridge, Terry and Co had formed an impenetrable barrier in front of Petr Cech, Guus Hiddink's tactical masterplan almost perfect.

Not a single tackle was shirked, no interception chance squandered, no effort shirked, especially with Barca reduced to 10 men when Eric Abidal was dismissed for fouling Nicolas Anelka.

Indeed, for all the thrusts of Iniesta and Lionel Messi, all the moments when you thought they might break through, Michael Essien's wonder goal after only nine minutes looked to be doing to Barca what Paul Scholes had done at Old Trafford 12 months ago.

Not only had Essien scored one of the great Champions League strikes but Chelsea had the chances to finish it off, Drogba wasting the best of them.

And referee Tom Henning Ovrebo alone will know why he did not give at least one of the five penalty appeals in the Blues' favour.

Even so, there were less than two minutes left of stoppage time, 100 measly, puny, pitiful seconds, when for once Chelsea failed to deal with a desperation cross into the box, Essien of all people missing his clearance.

The ball fell to Samuel Eto'o and it was moved to Messi, who had suffered alongside his team-mates, but had the presence of mind not to opt for a shot at glory but instead roll the ball to Iniesta, 20 yards out.

What followed will live forever in the hearts and minds of every Barca fan, will be a recurring nightmare for each member of the Chelsea team.

Iniesta had no time to think, just time to act.

But as his stunning strike arrowed past the stranded Cech and into the top corner, all that blood and sweat was reduced to Chelsea tears.

You had to feel for them too, especially for those, like Terry and Lampard, who have suffered the same crushing desolation five times in the last six years.

What will have made it so much tougher, too, was that this was a game Chelsea could, should, have sewn up long before Iniesta transformed everything to ensure it is Pep Guardiola who Sir Alex Ferguson must overcome in Rome.

Yes, Barca pass the ball beautifully but all the chances came at the other end, starting with Essien's screaming left-footed volley, flashing in off the bar from 25 yards.

With Drogba overpowering Yaya Toure and Gerard Pique, Chelsea had the real momentum and Daniel Alves, who will miss the final after a booking, should have conceded a penalty when he dragged Florent Malouda to the ground two yards inside the box.

Victor Valdes saved Drogba's resulting free-kick and watched as Terry flashed a header wide, while Drogba demanded another spot-kick when Abidal tugged his shirt. It would not have mattered had Drogba, fed by Anelka, steered past Valdes after side-stepping Pique.

Had Lampard's deflected shot beat the keeper's dive. Had the Norwegian officials spotted Toure's foul on Anelka or Pique handling inside the box.

Even so, when Abidal was adjudged to have tripped Anelka, it seemed decisive. Barcelona felt the gods were against them.

Instead they had one last trick to play, Iniesta giving them no chance of redemption, even if Michael Ballack had a last, desperate appeal for justice after his shot hit Eto'o.

As the whistle blew, Hiddink was bowled over by the celebrating Barca bench, Drogba disgraced himself, and the Chelsea fans demonstrated similar rage.

Maybe it is just not meant to be.

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