Messi scores twice, Barca beats Arsenal at Emirates

The Catalan team just put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after defeating hosts Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16.

Barca had to wait until the last 20 minutes of the match to find a way into Arsenal's goal. Photo: Reuters

Goals: Messi 71', 84' penalty

Having created more chances in both halves, Barca deserved to win at the Emirates. After 71 minutes of tense play, Messi opened the scoring for the visitors from a counter-attack with Suarez and Neymar. Thirteen minutes later, M10 completed his double with a successful penalty kick after being fouled by Flamini in the box.

Thanks to a big win at the Emirates in the first leg, Barca are almost guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals. In the return leg at home, coach Luis Enrique's team can lose by a goal and not worry about going through.

In fact, the game could have gone in a completely different direction had Arsenal taken advantage of a great opportunity in the 22nd minute. The incident occurred when the Barca defense appeared confused after a shot from Hector Bellerin. When the ball bounced out, in a completely empty position, Oxlade-Chamberlain missed a golden opportunity with a hasty low shot instead of aiming for the top corner. This was also the only dangerous situation that Arsenal created in the first half.

Oxlade-Chamberlain stood empty in Barca's possession but failed to fire off a shot as expected.

As fans expected of a top-notch match, Barca and Arsenal joined hands to bring not only many beautiful but also tight matches. Playing against a worthy opponent, the Catalan team did not have much space to perform like in recent matches in La Liga and the King's Cup. It was not until the end of the first half that Barca had any real dangerous situations towards goalkeeper Petr Cech's goal. The score could have been opened earlier if Suarez had stopped the ball to finish after Messi's pass in the 45th minute, instead of crossing back to his teammate. Two minutes later, Suarez continued to miss the opportunity with a close-range header that went wide.

To deal with Arsenal, who are in good form in the Premier League, coach Luis Enrique fielded the same starting lineup as last season's Champions League final. This was the right choice, as most of the players remained in good form. In the second half, Barca's starting lineup continued to show their form and experience, often pushing Arsenal back into their own half. The biggest problem for the visitors was the ability to convert their chances into goals, not the game.

Like Suarez, Neymar became the player that Barca fans regretted the most in the second half when he continuously missed opportunities. The Brazilian striker could have scored a goal for himself if he had successfully finished in a face-off with Cech in the 48th minute, after a through ball from Iniesta. Not long after that, Neymar continued to regret not being able to tap the ball in after a cross across the 5m50 box.

The home team also had a chance but could not do more than Neymar and Suarez. In the 60th minute, Giroud could have opened the scoring with a close-range header, if goalkeeper Ter Stegen had not made a brilliant save right near the goal line.

In a tight match, Barca finally showed their mettle and superiority. In the 71st minute, from a lightning counterattack on the home field, Suarez passed the ball down to Neymar who ran down to face Cech. In the next situation, Neymar did not shoot immediately but cleverly passed it to Messi who was moving in an open position. Having the opportunity to face each other, M10 stopped the ball for a moment, causing Cech to miss the block and then calmly kicked the ball into the empty net to open the score.

The equalizer may have had a negative impact on Arsenal's mentality. Shortly afterwards, the home side's defence showed a lack of concentration leading to the penalty. First came Mertesacker's clumsy control, and then Flamini's clear foul on Messi in the box. Having the chance on the spot, Messi did not pass to Suarez as he had done in the recent win over Celta Vigo, but cleverly fooled Cech to seal a 2-0 win.

Messi completed his double.

With a brace against Arsenal, Messi has scored five goals in the Champions League this season. M10 had to sit out for two months, missing three group stage matches. Ronaldo is currently leading the race for the top scorer with 12 goals, while Lewandowski is second with seven goals.

According to VNE