Arsenal's Champions League hopes were dealt a crushing blow as Lionel Messi struck twice to hand Barcelona a 2-0 win in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Emirates Stadium.
He added his second from the penalty spot just 12 minutes later after Arsenal substitute Mathieu Flamini felled the Argentine with his first involvement in the game.
"I cannot go into a game and think I will just play for a zero-zero. It's against my nature." Despite Arsene Wenger's comments in the build-up to this game, it was no great surprise to see the Arsenal manager set up his side to sit deep, contain Barcelona and play on the counter-attack.
For 71 minutes, the defensive gameplan worked. Arsenal had just 28 per cent of the possession in the first half but they worked tirelessly without the ball and restricted the space in and around their penalty box, with Barcelona's only clear chance of the half coming when Luis Suarez headed narrowly wide just before the break.
source by: http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11096/10178791/arsenal-0-2-barcelona-five-talking-points-as-lionel-messi-punishes-gunners
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