Arsenal were undone by
two goals in the final 20 minutes from Lionel Messi as Barcelona took a firm
and in all probability decisive grip on the Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Having defended diligently and restricted Barcelona early on, Arsenal had just
began to gain in confidence and push forward when Barcelona broke the tie open
with a devastating counter attack. After contributions from Luis Suarez and
Neymar, Messi beat Petr Cech for the first time in his career. And there was no
coming back for Arsenal, with Mathieu Flamini giving away a penalty less than a
minute after coming on to allow Messi to calmly convert. As Arsenal seek to
avoid a sixth straight exit in the round of 16, Arsenal have now lost the first
leg at home for the fourth consecutive season. And, against a Barcelona team so
devastating when given time and space, it is extremely difficult to see any way
back for Arsene Wenger’s side at the Camp Nou in three weeks’ time. For much of
the encounter, Wenger had got the mature, disciplined performance he wanted
from his side. A slow to start Barcelona side had been kept quiet until the
dying seconds of the first half. But Arsenal
crucially failed to take advantage of their openings at the other end,
with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing the pick of them in the first half.
But Arsenal’s defensive
effort had begun to tell in the second half, as Barcelona’s pressure became
ever more oppressive. If Suarez had been his usual clinical self they would
have been in front earlier and the scoreline by the end more emphatic. As it
was, Arsenal had just begun to hit back at Barcelona and commit men forward to
getting a goal of their own, when the danger of leaving yourself open against
this Barcelona team was laid bare. At the crucial moment Arsenal were naïve
once again, although it was a brilliant goal from players who are simply just a
cut above what Arsenal have to offer that proved the home side’s undoing. More
frustrating will be the poor touch from Per Mertesacker and clumsy foul from
Flamini that allowed Barcelona to surely put the tier beyond doubt.
