Barcelona - Arsenal 4-1 (video)

Messi quartet haunts Gunners
Lionel Messi lived up to his billing as the best player in the world with four goals to end Arsenal's Champions League dream in the Nou Camp.

Nicklas Bendtner had fired the Gunners into a shock lead on 18 minutes. However, Messi soon drew Barcelona level after capitalising on a mistake by Mikael Silvestre.

The Argentina forward then added a second from close range before dashing clear to make it 3-1 on the night just before the break, and grabbed a fourth with three minutes left to complete a comfortable 6-3 aggregate victory for the tournament holders.

Arsene Wenger's injury-hit squad - without the likes of captain Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin and Alex Song - must now regroup and focus on overhauling Chelsea and Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League title race.

Arsenal, playing in their white change kit, looked determined not to be overrun as they had during the opening exchanges of the first leg.

Barcelona, however, created an couple of chances when Xavi, captain for the night in the absence of suspended Carles Puyol, flicked the ball wide before Messi fired an angled shot just over the bar in a sign of things to come.

The English side, though, snatched a shock lead on their first real chance after 18 minutes.

Theo Walcott was put clear by Abou Diaby down the right, and he dashed into the Barca penalty area before squaring to Bendtner.

Victor Valdes made a good reaction save, but the in-form Denmark striker was quick to stab the rebound into the net and put the English team ahead in the tie for the first time.

The Gunners then wasted another chance of a breakaway, as Diaby pushed the ball left to Bendtner when Walcott was in space on the right.

It proved a costly error as Barcelona went up the other end to equalise on 21 minutes.

Silvestre, in the side ahead of veteran Sol Campbell who was not fully fit, failed to clear the ball on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area - and Messi needed no second invitation, lashing his shot into the top right corner.

Messi continued to torment Arsenal as he collected the ball on the right touchline before weaving into the box and drilling a shot into the side netting.

Arsenal were again punished by Messi for some poor defending as Barcelona went 2-1 ahead on 37 minutes.

Eric Abidal crossed the ball into the Arsenal box from the right, which was cut out by Thomas Vermaelen. However, his team-mates were slow to react as Pedro knocked the loose ball out to Messi - and he smashed it past Almunia.

The Argentina international completed a stunning hat-trick four minutes before the break when he latched onto a header from Abidal to race clear before dispatching a brilliant chip over the Arsenal keeper.

Messi nearly had another at the start of the second half when Pedro whipped a low ball across the Arsenal six-yard box from the right, which was just too far ahead of the Barcelona forward.

Arsenal had little choice but to go forwards, but that left the visitors exposed at the back.

The visitors nearly found away through when Diaby stabbed the ball to Bendtner just inside the Barcelona box, but the Denmark striker was hustle out of possession before he could shoot.

Then when left-back Gael Clichy broke and fed Bendtner, the home defence again got back in numbers to clear.

Diaby's low ball across the edge of the Barcelona box went all the way through to Tomas Rosicky, but the Czech snatched at his shot, which flew harmlessly wide.

Messi's clever quick free-kick released Pedro, but his angled chip was off target, before at the other end Bendtner's header crashed against the post - but the offside flag was up.

With 18 minutes left, Wenger sent on Eduardo for Rosicky, with Samir Nasri moving out to the left in a 4-4-2.

Clichy knocked Alves off the ball to charge forwards, but, with team-mates well placed, drilled an ambitious shot over from 20 yards.

Maxwell forced Almunia into a good save at his near post after cutting into the right side of the Arsenal penalty area.

Messi then completed a fine night's work with another well-taken goal three minutes from time as the holders marched on towards a mouth-watering semi-final clash against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.

Wayne Rooney drink beer !

                                           

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Sir Alex rules Rooney out of Bayern clash

Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that there is "no chance" that Wayne Rooney will play any part in Wednesday night's Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.

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Sir Alex Ferguson takes training

Rooney suffered minor ligament damage to his right ankle in the first leg against Bayern in the Allianz Arena, and initial reports said he could be out for up to a month.
But speculation in the press had suggested that Sir Alex would risk him against Bayern in a bid to reach the Champions League semi-finals. On Monday it was reported that the 34-goal striker had a 40% chance of featuring in the return leg.
Sir Alex has now said he is not prepared to risk the long-term fitness of the England international as United look to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
''He's got no chance,'' he said. ''We've made some good progress with the lad, the medical team have done fantastic, but I'm not prepared to take a risk on a player who is not 100% fit.
''The boy is making good progress. The medical team have done a fantastic job but it is an ankle injury the same as any other ankle injury. You can't take a risk with a player who is not 100%.
''I don't think he will be on the bench although he might talk me into it, it is a difficult one.''
The one piece of good news for Ferguson is the likely availability of John O'Shea, who has not played since suffering complications in his recovery from a dead leg sustained in the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off defeat to France in November.

watch live football : Barcelona v Arsenal Live

Barcelona  v  Arsenal

2ND LEG: 2 - 2 (Agg)

Match Information

Stadium: Estadio Camp Nou, Spain

Attendance:

Match Time: April 6, 2010, 19:45 UK

Scoring Summary

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Barcelona v Arsenal: Preview

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned his players to forget last week's impressive performance against Arsenal at the Emirates stadium and focus on the job in hand when the two sides meet again at the Nou Camp tomorrow night.
Barca played Arsenal off the park with some breathtaking football in the first half and went 2-0 up early in the second period.
The Catalans were eventually pegged back, though, and had to settle for a 2-2 draw as Arsenal rallied late on.
It was perhaps an unfair reflection of the play, which Barca dominated, creating 22 chances overall and an incredible 11 in the first 15 minutes.
But Guardiola says a repeat of that performance cannot be expected tomorrow.
"What we did the other day has nothing to do with tomorrow's match,'' Guardiola said.
"Those things only happen every now and again and it's in the past. We have to forget about it and focus on doing our job tomorrow.
"We performed well last week but now we have to go again and if we don't play well, if we do not produce the necessary level of performance, it will be tough and we might not get to the semi-finals.''
Guardiola is missing a host of first-team players with defensive pair Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique suspended.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored Barca's goals at the Emirates, is also out after picking up a calf injury in the warm-up ahead of Saturday's 4-1 win at home to Athletic Bilbao.

"It's bad news because he is a very important player for us, so we hope he recovers as soon as possible,'' Guardiola said.
The Barca coach will also make a late decision on Andres Iniesta, who was out with a thigh problem but is now back in full training.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger called on his battle-weary side to show no fear as they aim to upset the odds.
The Gunners' preparations for the second leg were today hit by the news Cameroon international Alex Song - who had been in line to drop back into defence as veteran Sol Campbell struggles to regain full match fitness - was out with a knee injury.
Arsenal were already missing captain Cesc Fabregas, who suffered a cracked bone in his leg when winning the late penalty which levelled the tie at 2-2, as well as centre-back William Gallas and Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin.
However, Wenger maintains his team - with England forward Theo Walcott in contention to start having made a major impact from the bench in the first leg - have what it takes to pull off another famous away victory.
"We have won away everywhere in Europe. Barcelona is a place where we have not done it, so there is no better opportunity than tomorrow night,'' Wenger declared.
"I am confident despite the injuries we have that we can do it.
"Of course, we will need to get everybody to 100% of his potential and have a great team performance.
"This team, though, has such a great mental strength and I believe they can fight against the odds anywhere in the world.''
Wenger openly admits Arsenal are lucky to still have a chance, however slim, of progression to the semi-finals after the way in which they were completely dominated in the opening stages of the first leg.
"We have learned that it is important we start will full power, without any inhibition, which we showed in the first 20 minutes at the Emirates,'' he said.
"How we manage to do that will certainly have a big influence on the game and on the result tomorrow.
"We have to try to be very disciplined, but not to hide when we have the ball.''
With so many of his key men missing, the last thing Wenger needed was another injury problem.
The prognosis on Song, however, does not look promising.
"It was a bad surprise this morning, because he had a scan yesterday afternoon on his knee and it is an inflamed cartilage,'' the Arsenal boss revealed.
"We have to wait how the evolution will be, but he is completely out of the squad for tomorrow's game.''
Song had been pencilled in to drop back into defence, as he had done following Gallas' calf injury relapse in the first leg, given Campbell can often need more recovery time between games.
Wenger will, though, leave a decision on the 35-year-old's involvement as late as possible, with fellow veteran Mikael Silvestre, 32, also part of the 18-man squad which left Luton this afternoon.
"That is a decision I have to make, consulting with Sol tomorrow to see how he feels,'' Wenger said.
"Today he was still not completely available. He managed a warm up and then we got him in.
"It is such a big game that you must be completely fit or not play at all.''