footballworld

A Lionel Messi brace helped Barcelona to a 3-1 victory over 10-man Arsenal on Tuesday to put them into the quarterfinals of Champions League on a 4-3 aggregate. The Argentine World Player of the Year was the difference as Barcelona produced another outstanding display of attacking football which left the Arsenal defence stretched from beginning to end. A tense last-16 second leg at the Nou Camp, which the Spanish club completely dominated, was marred for Arsenal by the controversial dismissal of striker Robin van Persie 11 minutes into the second half. A Sergio Busquets own goal to level the scores at 1-1 would have put the visitors through but a fine strike from Xavi and Messi’s penalty gave the 2009 winners a 3-1 victory and a 4-3 aggregate success that sent them into the last eight for a fourth successive season. Arsenal were furious with the referee over the sending-off but they failed to muster a single shot on goal in the entire game while Barca managed 19. The La Liga leaders had almost 70 percent of the possession at a packed and boisterous Nou Camp stadium and completed 738 passes to Arsenal’s 199.

‘We played a fantastic match against 11 and against 10,’ Barca coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. ‘We did not allow them to make more than three consecutive passes.’ Arsenal were chasing the ball from the kickoff and were rocked when they were forced to replace goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with Manuel Almunia in the 19th minute after the Pole dislocated a finger when dealing with a Daniel Alves free kick. As Barca pressed for a goal, Adriano Correia raced in from the left wing in the 36th minute and struck a fierce angled shot against the post. Messi twisted and turned into space in the penalty area moments later but shot straight at Almunia. The Argentina forward, who netted all four goals in a 4-1 win over Arsenal at the Nou Camp in last season’s quarter-finals, put Barca ahead when he dashed on to Andres Iniesta’s dinked pass, lifted the ball over the keeper with an audacious flick and volleyed into the empty net. After Busquets’s error from a Samir Nasri corner, Xavi rifled home from close range in the 69th minute and Messi claimed his second in the 71st following Laurent Koscielny’s foul on Pedro. Substitute Nicklas Bendtner had a chance to score in the dying minutes but he was denied by a brilliant covering tackle from midfielder Javier Masherano before Barca ran down the clock to complete a deserved victory. ‘This was footballing justice. We were very superior both here and there (in the first leg),’ Xavi told reporters. ‘We had an infinite number of chances to kill the game off but it was Leo who again made the difference.’

Messi’s goals were his seventh and eighth in the competition this season, putting him one ahead of Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka, Inter Milan’s Samuel Eto’o and Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez at the top of the scoring charts. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was furious about the Van Persie sending-off, which he felt changed the game at a time his side were coming back into contention. ‘At the moment he made his decision it was a very promising game, very interesting,’ the Frenchman told reporters. ‘If you have played football at a certain level you cannot understand this decision. It’s impossible. ‘I felt we would have come back into the game. Overall I am convinced we would have won this game.’Barcelona, who also beat Arsenal in the 2006 final, will go into the March 18 draw for the last eight when they could be pitted against Real Madrid if their arch-rivals get past Olympique Lyon next week.

Arsenal struck twice in five minutes late on as they staged a stirring comeback to beat Champions League favorites Barcelona on a night to savour at the Emirates.Barcelona looked on course to take a precious lead into the second leg of this last 16 clash at the Nou Camp as they protected the first-half advantage given to them by David Villa.The Catalans wasted chances to strengthen their position, with Lionel Messi an unlikely culprit, leaving the door open for the Gunners to keep their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive in spectacular fashion.Robin van Persie equalised 12 minutes from time with a shot that somehow eluded Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes at his near post before substitute Andrey Arshavin sent Arsenal's fans into ecstasy with a crisp finish that gives them a slender lead to take to Spain.

The Premier League outfit were attempting to follow in the footsteps of arch-rivals Tottenham after their magnificent win against AC Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday - and they were not to be outdone as they made it a memorable 24 hours for north London in Champions League combat.

Arsene Wenger's side were intent on proving a point after losing 6-3 to Barcelona over two legs at the quarter-final stage last season and they achieved their objective without sacrificing their long-held principles.

For all the talk of Arsenal attempting to make it a physical confrontation with the lavishly gifted Barca stars, the Gunners continued to play their trademark passing game and reaped a rich dividend in a frantic finale.

Barcelona, ironically, looked in control as the game entered its final phase, but once Van Persie leveled the mood inside the Emirates helped sweep Arsenal to victory.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola will still be confident his side can overturn a narrow deficit in the return, but the Gunners now have something to protect and will travel with the confidence this triumph will have given them.

Jack Wilshere was the symbol of Arsenal's development since the teams last met with a performance of composure that made a nonsense of his tender teenage years. Meanwhile Arsenal's resilience and dogged determination as Barcelona dominated possession for lengthy spells met with Wenger's approval.

Wenger described it as "a special night" - and Arsenal's manager must take great credit for a relentlessly positive attitude on and off the pitch, introducing Arshavin for Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner for Theo Walcott even though his side were behind.The Gunners boss insisted the La Liga leaders remain favourites to progress but Arsenal will feel they have applied pressure to Barcelona as they carry a weight of expectation into the second leg.Arsenal were determined to guard against the type of chasing they suffered in the opening half at the Emirates when the sides met last season and this time around they more than held their own against the Catalan artists.Samir Nasri's availability after a hamstring injury provided a real bonus for the Gunners and they started with admirable attacking intent. A wonderful moment of invention from Cesc Fabregas, lifting the ball over the Barca defence, forged an early opening for Van Persie but keeper Valdes was alert and made a crucial block.Barcelona's response was the lacerating passage of play that has become their trademark. Villa sent Messi clear, but the little Argentine over-elaborated with a routine finish and not only guided his effort over Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny but wide of the far post.

It was a moment that was met with an audible gasp of relief around the Emirates - but it was the clearest indication yet that Barcelona were finding their feet after the intensity of Arsenal's start.

Andres Iniesta almost put Villa in on goal before Messi was again wasteful with another chance, tamely chipping into the hands of Szczesny despite having the time and space he usually relishes.

As the game swung from end to end it needed a desperate headed clearance from Eric Abidal as Van Persie closed in on Fabregas' cross, but the Barca pressure was mounting and the reward came after 26 minutes.

Messi, inevitably, was the creator with a pass that cut Arsenal open, leaving the lethal Villa to stride forward and score with typical expertise.

As Wenger's side struggled to recover Szczesny did well to block Pedro at his near post before the Gunners broke the Barcelona stranglehold and Van Persie should have done better than to fire wildly off target when well placed.Messi had the ball in the net just before half-time but he was adjudged offside, and both sides traded blows again as the second period unfolded, Barcelona appealing in vain for a penalty as Villa collided with Laurent Koscielny and Van Persie again testing Valdes from the edge of the area. 

Messi had mixed brilliance with some uncharacteristic profligacy in front of goal. He should have extended Barca's lead when he was released inside the area after 67 minutes but shot into the side netting.

Arsenal stuck to their task, despite Barcelona enjoying prolonged periods of possession, and they drew level with 12 minutes left. Van Persie's low shot from an acute angle carried pace and power, but Valdes was desperately at fault as he stood motionless as the Netherlands striker's effort flew in at his near post.

Barcelona were suddenly rocking and Wenger's team turned the tie on its head and, roared on by feverish backing on a thunderous night, scored the winner when Arshavin arrived on the end of Nasri's right-flank cross to steer a precise finish past Valdes.Arshavin showed the other side of his game when a moment of defensive vulnerability almost let in Dani Alves in stoppage time - but Arsenal survived to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he was not concerned by the prospect of possibly facing Barcelona in the next round of the Champions League.The Gunners may also face Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Schalke in the last 16 after finishing second in Group H. "Barcelona is a super favourite in this competition at the moment but we take what we get," said the Frenchman after a 3-1 win over Partizan Belgrade. "If it's Barcelona, it is Barcelona. We played them last year. We will see." Last season, Barcelona knocked Arsenal out of the competition at the quarter-final stage, and although the 2009 Champions League winners are seen as the team to avoid, Wenger knows his side will have to be in good shape whichever team they face.

"Last year we went out against Barcelona," said Wenger. "I felt we had some room to do better because we drew 2-2 at home and over there we led 1-0 but lost 4-1."It depends whether you will have your best players available and a good level of confidence. "It's very difficult to predict how far you can go but now in the last 16 it becomes a cup competition. You go into cup mode and that means for 180 minutes you have to be at your top." The draw for the Champions League knockout stages will take place on Friday 17 December and Wenger added: "We have a 50% chance to travel to Spain and 50% chance to go to Germany. "If you ask me where we would like to go, I don't know. For the media they would maybe prefer Spain, but for us not necessarily."

The victory over Partizan confirmed Arsenal's place in the last 16 for the 11th successive season, but the Gunners were not at their best and endured some nervous moments before two goals in the last 20 minutes secured their passage. They took the lead through a Robin van Persie penalty and, after conceding an equaliser when Cleo's shot was deflected past keeper Lukasz Fabianski, it took goals from Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri to ease their anxiety. Wenger is aware his players will have to improve on that performance but, based on their position in all competitions this season, he has faith that they will. "Overall, we are in a strong position in the league, have qualified for the next stage of the Champions League, are in the semi-final of the League Cup and start the FA Cup in January," he said. "We have plenty of exciting challenges in front of us but there is room for improvement and I'm confident we will."

Arsenal's progression was tempered by left-back Kieran Gibbs being forced off with an ankle injury after 23 minutes against the Serbian side and a scan on Thursday will determine the extent of the damage. "He has a twisted ankle, an ankle sprain," said Wenger. "I don't know how damaged his ankle is - he will have a scan on Thursday. He is unbelievably unlucky." Arsenal will be without Bacary Sagna for the first game of their last-16 tie in February after the right-back was sent off towards the end of the game at the Emirates.