Barcelona advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League when they defeated a fighting Arsenal side at the Camp Nou 3-1. A first half goal from Neymar gave the Blaugrana an unassailable 3-0 lead on aggregate in the Round of 16 stage but the Gunners also looked dangerous whenever they went forward to attack.
After having missed many opportunities to score, the visitors finally equalised when midfielder Mohamed Elneny scored his first goal for the club. Any doubts that remained about Arsenal’s dim chances of a comeback were thrashed by Luis Suarez after the hour mark as he smashed a brilliant volley past David Ospina.
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Lionel Messi rounded off the scoring as he dinked over the Arsenal goalkeeper in the late stages of the game.
Here are how the players from both sides fared:
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 7
The Barcelona shotstopper was a very lucky man to not have conceded more goals in the game. He was good with his handling and reflexes, but he could not respond to Elneny’s strike as it went past him and inside his near-post.
He did make some notable saves, as he saved Sanchez’s fierce freekick and did well to reach Giroud’s rebound which was on target. He had a fine game in the end and must be delighted at getting his chances in the competition.
Dani Alves – 6
The Brazilian was not at his best during the game but still managed to get an assist as he put in a cross which was extraordinarily volleyed into the back of the net by Suarez. He went forward at other times but could not produce anything worth a mention. He stuck to his task defensively and did not let Monreal have any space behind him.
Jeremy Mathieu – 6
Mathieu was not very impressive on the day. He made some crucial tackles and interceptions and did not let Welbeck have any space. But looked to be struggling as he gave away the ball under no real pressure from a header which was almost converted into a goal.
Javier Mascherano – 8
The Argentine had a commanding game at the back and made some crunching tackles with precise timing and did not let the Arsenal forwards have any space to work with. His block on Welbeck’s shot was crucial as a goal could have cost Barca. His positioning throughout the game was outstanding and helped him produce a flawless display.
Jordi Alba – 6
He was good and consistent with his play throughout the game and the Spaniard almost played most of the game in forward positions as he troubled Hector Bellerin regularly with his skills and pace. He was there to slow down the play whenever Arsenal played on their right flank.
Sergio Busquets – 6
The Spanish international was very good in breaking up the play when Arsenal went forward. But he could not entirely manage to help his side whenever his opponents went on the counter. Overall, a fair performance from Busquets.
Ivan Rakitic – 6
The Croatian midfielder was playing in the heart of midfield as always. He dictated the tempo of the game as Barca had possession. But he was also responsible for giving away possession. Rakitic also got back to help in defence whenever needed.
Andres Iniesta – 7
The midfield maestro was excellent on the ball for the home side as he went past opponents unchallenged during several attacks. His defensive skills also came to the rescue when needed. Overall, a good game for the Spanish international.
Lionel Messi – 7
The player of the year was at it again. He troubled Arsenal with his marauding runs throughout the game. Early on, he saw his shot being saved by Ospina, but he came back to finally beat the keeper with a sly chip. He had a good game as he was always a threat to the opposition and continued his good run against Arsenal.
Neymar – 7
The Brazilian was very bright as the game started and was rewarded with a goal inside the first 20 minutes. He became a bit jaded as the game progressed but created chances and came back to defend when required.
Luis Suarez – 8
The Uruguayan striker was in top form throughout the game. His volley at goal was his 43rd goal of the season and it’s still March. He linked up with his teammates and dominated Arsenal early on in the game.
Substitutes
Sergi Roberto – 6
The youngster came on for Andres Iniesta in the 72nd minute and played his role without a flaw.
Arda Turan – 6
The former Atletico man was brought on late to replace Ivan Rakitic and his notable act was getting a yellow within two minutes of coming on.
Arsenal
David Ospina – 7
The Colombian shotstopper cannot really be blamed for any of the goals on the night. He tried his best to deny the Catalans any opportunities to score. He made two crunching saves, first from Messi, and another from Neymar and looked very active in goal for the visitors, without him they could have conceded more.
Hector Bellerin – 7
The young Spaniard had a tough game but he came out as a fighter. He was not very effective whenever he went forward but still tried hard. His pace gave him the edge to stop his opponents and he dealt with the threat of Neymar pretty well.
Gabriel Paulista – 6
The Brazilian was left to cover up for his partner in central defence, Koscielny. The defender did well to deny space to the likes of Messi and Suarez as they continued with their tiki-taka. His interceptions and clearances helped ease off the pressure on the defence.
Laurent Koscielny – 4
The Frenchman had a poor game given his high standards. He was very slow and lacked concentration on some occasions throughout the game. Koscielny lost the possession of the ball with a heavy touch in the build up to the first goal they conceded.
Nacho Monreal – 5
The Spaniard did not look his usual self as he allowed his opponents to run at him from his wing. When he went forward, he could not provide much for his teammates. A disappointing game for the left-back who has been very consistent for his team this season.
Mathieu Flamini – 6
The Frenchman had a difficult task in the middle of the park to break up the play of the Catalans. He did well initially to break up the play but he could not stop many attacks from developing. He got booked in the first half and was substituted just before half-time as he picked up a slight injury.
Mohamed Elneny – 7
He was very good on the day for the Gunners but could not make much of an impact other than scoring his first goal for his new club. He was set up by Alexis Sanchez in the second half, where he equalised for Arsenal. The Egyptian was very good on the ball and regained possession with hard work in the middle of the park.
Mesut Ozil – 7
He was not in the game much in the first half, but showed his true colors in the second half as he got more involved in the passing and play. He did not have his best game but he was always passing the ball and creating chances for his teammates. He looked frustrated on many occasions due to Arsenal's inability to keep the ball.
Alexis Sanchez – 7
The Chilean had a difficult game yet again given the amount of effort he puts in. He did not get the returns he would have hoped for. But he was very passionate and seemed motivated to do well. He set up the goal for Mohamed Elneny and could have scored twice, once with a header that he failed to direct at goal, and another when he took a great freekick.
Alex Iwobi – 7
It was a typical Alex Iwobi performance again, he started the game brightly and made some darting runs. However, he was never really in control of the midfield but linked up well with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil on the right flank to create a couple of opportunities in the first half.
His shooting was not on target and he gave away an opportunity when he lost his bearings inside the box.
Danny Welbeck – 5
The English striker had a terrific opportunity to give Arsenal the lead early on in the second half, but he failed to outwit Mascherano and his shot was blocked by the defender when he should have scored. Other than that, he had very little opportunities to produce anything with the pace of Welbeck could not be utilised effectively.
Substitutes
Francis Coquelin – 8
The Frenchman came on to replace Flamini. He looked very lively and helped launch counter attacks by winning possession back quickly.
Theo Walcott – 5
Walcott came on to replace Welbeck and was almost anonymous during his spell on the pitch. He did not create much for his side and was not involved as much as his teammates were.
Olivier Giroud – 6
The French striker did not start the game but came on for Iwobi in the 73rd minute. Shot a rebound at goal from Sanchez’s freekick, but it was saved by ter Stegen. He did not get any more opportunities to affect the game.
