This time Manchester United were not spectres at a Catalan feast. Last night they did not come to Nou Camp merely to admire the attacking excellence of Barcelona.
Whatever the effects this result will have on United's chances of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, their refusal to fold after falling behind in less than a minute has surely dispelled the last lingering images of an embarrassing 4-0 defeat here four years ago.
Sharing six goals with Barcelona is fast becoming a habit with Alex Ferguson's side. But whereas United had dominated the opening period at Old Trafford in September, scoring twice before Barcelona recovered, now it was they who stood an enthralling game on its head, largely because of the exceptional movement up front of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.
United will have to defeat Bayern Munich, who beat Brondby 20 last night to go top of Group D, at home in two weeks' time to be sure of reaching the last eight. A draw, which would leave them with 10 points, might be enough for them to qualify as one of the two best runners-up.
Barcelona, who had to win to keep alive any chance of filling one of the top two places, are out. Defeats against Bayern had virtually damaged their cause beyond repair, but their quality suggested that the remainder of the Champions League will be poorer for their absence.
That Rivaldo, one of three Brazilians in Louis van Gaal's team, was run close by Yorke as the game's outstanding player was a measure of United's contribution to a classic. Each scored twice and no sooner had Yorke's second goal promised United's first victory on Spanish soil in European competition than Rivaldo beat Peter Schmeichel with a bicycle kick.
Schmeichel again had a mixed evening. His late error in Munich had turned a likely win into a draw, and another mistake here brought the scores back to 2-2 after Cole had given United the lead early in the second half. Yet in the closing minutes Schmeichel staved off likely defeat when he raced off his line to block Giovanni's shot. When Bayern come to Old Trafford, Ferguson will trust that his team's defending has regained its discipline.
United could hardly have had a less promising start. Giovanni's lob after 52 seconds was long and high and Denis Irwin's clearance fell to Sonny Anderson, who dummied Gary Neville before shooting firmly past Schmeichel's left hand.
For a time Rivaldo exploited avenues of space in front of United's back four, his side's speed on the break breathtaking. Nevertheless United were level in the 25th minute and with a goal to suit the grandeur of the surroundings. Jesper Blomqvist's pass destroyed the cover and Yorke strode through a huge gap to drive a superb shot past Ruud Hesp.
After that it became a game of snap, Yorke and Cole, Roy Keane and Blomqvist creating chance after chance in a style that took even the Nou Camp's breath away. Four goals were shared in the space of 20 minutes as the match see-sawed crazily.
In the 54th minute Yorke's dummy allowed Keane's pass to run to Cole, who played a one-two with his strike partner before beating Hesp. That remained the best of the bunch, but in the 56th minute Schmeichel misread Rivaldo's free-kick, going to his left as the ball sailed past him on the right.
After 67 minutes David Beckham, a mostly peripheral figure, gathered a ball from Keane before crossing to the near post, where Yorke ducked in to head past Hesp.
Perhaps it was fitting that Rivaldo should complete the scoring. It was a wonder neither side managed another in the remaining quarter-hour although Rivaldo did produce a 30-yard drive which clipped the top of the bar.
"When you score three goals at Nou Camp you've got to be happy," said Ferguson afterwards. Surprisingly, considering the nature of the goals conceded, he was not outwardly perturbed by last night's score-line: "It was the kind of game where both teams could have scored a lot of goals and we have to be satisfied coming away with the draw because one team was eventually going to score more goals than the other if we kept attacking like that.
"Matches like this stretch the nerve ends to the limit."
For United the real tensions are still to come.
Second-half goals from Carsten Jancker and Mario Basler gave Bayern their win. After a barren first half Lothar Matthaus moved from defence into midfield and Jancker replaced Alexander Zickler. In six minutes Matthaus's through-ball set up a simple headed goal for Jancker. Six minutes later Jancker turned provider for the second. Looking ahead to Old Trafford, the Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said: "We can't play for a 0-0. Manchester are far too good at home to do that."
Barcelona: Hesp, Reiziger, Figo, Celades, Anderson, Giovanni, Rivaldo, Sergi, Okunowo, Zenden, Xavi. Subs Not Used: Arnau, Ciric, Roger, Mario, Cuadrado Alonso. Goals: Anderson 1, Rivaldo 57, 73.
Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Stam, Beckham (Butt 80), Cole, Blomqvist, Keane, Scholes, Yorke, Brown. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, P. Neville, Solskjaer, Berg, Curtis, Wilson. Booked: Blomqvist, Keane, Irwin, Scholes. Goals: Yorke 25, Cole 53, Yorke 68. Att: 67,650.
Referee: G Benko (Austria).
