Messi weaves his magic as Barcelona beats Arsenal 2-0

Lionel Messi proved a thorn in Arsenal’s side yet again as his second-half goals earned Barcelona a 2-0 win at Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday. There are two matches in this round, but depending how well Barcelona plays in the first game, it could be over (or practically impossible to come back from) before the first whistle of the second contest.

Arsene Wenger, disappointment writ on his face, criticised Barcelona’s players and the Turkish referee after Arsenal’s 2-0 home defeat t the European champions, but most of all he criticised his own players.

It’s a tag that Barcelona certainly has now.

Based completely on Barcelona’s form, Enrique’s men look a pretty decent price of 4/6 to take the spoils here and take a first leg advantage back to the Nou Camp. “I felt the referee was influenced but let’s be honest, we didn’t lose the game because of the referee”. But even the rest of the team is very good. For us he is a vital and a key player.

Suarez and Neymar also missed clear late chances to make things worse for Arsenal, and the Blaugrana coach told his postgame news conference that his team had controlled the game and knew their work would pay off with more opportunities late on.

Barca are now unbeaten in their last 32 games and will make history if they win the Champions League for the second year running. “But I think we could have won the game tonight if we had kept the discipline until the end”, said the Frenchman.

But, while Wenger acknowledges the 27-year-old will be desperate to show his former employers what they are missing, the Arsenal boss wants Sanchez to manage his temperament in order to produce a top-level performance.

He’s netted eight against Italian Serie A side AC Milan.

But Barcelona were far less lenient after the break with break being the operative term.

The holders gradually ratcheted up the pressure, though, and should have opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime. Everybody who knows football understands you need a first half like ours to have the second.

Olivier Giroud rose above the Barca defence to meet Ozil’s cross with a header that ter Stegen brilliantly clawed away. In context Arsenal have scored as many goals as the Uruguayan in the Premier League.

“We are extremely guilty, we have no excuse for that goal”.

The midfielder’s tackle on the Argentine came less than a minute after being introduced as a substitute and there was little doubt that the referee made the correct decision in pointing to the spot.