Barcelona v Inter Milan: Jose Mourinho hails 'most beautiful defeat of my life'

I had no idea what the sporting consequences were, but as a former central defender myself (for a corporate Sunday League reserve team), I had to marvel at the disciplined zonal defence marking of Inter Milan, as they held out against Barcelona, the team with the most talented players in the world, to go into the European Cup final against Bayern Munich.

To hold Barcelona out, with just 10 men against 11, for over an hour, was magnificent and perhaps the greatest defensive display since the Greeks against the Persians at the hot gates of Thermopylae.

Perhaps the Greek government should appoint Mourinho to defend their retention of the Euro? Otherwise, it's looking more and more like the return of the Drachma, with every passing day.