Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2
Messi 71, Messi 83 (pen)
The game was very close for 70 minutes.
Did Wenger’s game-plan work for 70 minutes? Yes.
But Arsenal had to score first.
The contest started with an idiotic challenge by Monreal on Rakitic which earned a booking. Too early for Arsenal fans to experience such an ominous moment.
By 17 minutes I thought Barca were tightening the screw but Dani Alves’s final ball was rubbish.
Arsenal were defending cleverly, giving Barcelona very little space in the front third, but there were tiny glimpses of Barca’s ability to invent in very small spaces around the box.
Oxlade had a shot from a position where he should have beaten Ter Stegen, who saved.
In 25 the tigerish Sanchez made a good zippy run, passed to Ozil, Arsenal won a corner. When Coquelin pulled Messi’s undershirt almost off his arm, the genius almost managed to maintain his balance and evade him. Messi has a lot of experience of dribbling while being impeded.
Cech made a good save one-on-one against Suarez and the loose ball went for a corner to Barca that was not given.
When Mascherano won a 50-50 ball cleanly, he clashed knees with Oxlade. Ouch!
I thought Messi’s body language was showing signs of irritation. By 41, Barcelona’s best attack won a corner. Then a bad pass by Ramsey started another Barca attack.
THEN SUAREZ MISSED A SITTER.
Dani Alves hit a shin-cross to the near post to give Luis Suarez a header from three yards. I had backed him at 4-1 to score the first goal but he headed just wide of the far post.
It was 0–0 at half-time and Barca were credited with 71% possession but they had not created much. I thought they lacked their usual fluency and spark, looked a bit tired and stale. But a lot of that was down to Arsenal’s containment.
As the second half went on , I figured Barcelona would find slightly bigger spaces in and around the Arsenal penalty area.
This was the first big game in two years where I thought Barcelona missed Xavi, their architect, their controlling intelligence, their Napoleon in midfield. Xavi was a hugely resourceful Catalan leader who could slow the game down while simultaneously looking to speed it up. The team has less guile now. But more thrust.
Second half, Neymar was suddenly in one-on-one against Petr Cech and the cool keeper made a very good save with his leg
A minute later, in 50, Walcott came on for Oxlade.
In 60 Giroud got in bouncing header but Ter Stegen made a save low to his right.
There were 30 minutes left in a story that could still have three endings.
So far this R16 first leg had been, pretty much, a tight game of two headers. One wide, one saved.
Then Suarez had a snap shot that beat the far post by a yard but Arsenal seemed a shade fresher.
In 71, Barcelona created a swift move on the left flank, Neymar to Suarez to Neymar and the Brazilian’s sweetly-weighted pass towards Messi’s left foot seemed to roll as accurately as a sublime snooker shot.
Messi beat Cech for 0-1.
In 72 the lanky, rapid Danny Welbeck came on for Giroud and suddenly looked capable of changing the game.
But in 78, Barcelona broke and Suarez hit the post from a good position.
Flamini came on for Coquelin and when Mertesacker clumsily tried to pass to Flamini in the box, Messi got there first, Flamini panicked and brought Messi down. Penalty!
Messi sent Cech the wrong way for 0-2.
Barcelona are in the quarter finals sooner than people expected.