Lionel Messi strikes to send Barcelona past Shakhtar Donetsk

Lionel Messi's first-half goal ensure that this tie, which looked over after the first leg, when Shakhtar were obliterated in the Camp Nou, reached a tame conclusion.

Messi's goal, his 48th of the season, set up a probable semi-final tie against their Spanish rivals Real Madrid, barring a miracle comeback from Tottenham Hotspur – 4-0 down after the first leg – on Wednesday night.

Shakhtar, who knocked out Roma in the previous round, started well and dominated the early stages of the game while Barcelona lay back and soaked up the pressure from the Ukrainian side without ever really being troubled.

But, as with every side that has faced Barcelona this season, Shakhtar learned the hard lesson that if you cannot punish the Catalans when you are on top, then they will punish you. And so it proved just before half-time.

Dani Alves found space on the right hand side. He squared the ball to Messi and the Argentinian danced around a few defenders before slotting the ball past Andriy Pyatov in the Shakhtar net. It was his ninth goal in 10 Champions league games this season.

The second half brought more of the same from both sides. Shakhtar continued to press, and required Víctor Valdés to pull off some good saves in the visitors' goal. But Barcelona were once more able to contain with Messi again the star of the show. Barcelona are now in the semi-finals for the fourth successive season and face the prospect of playing Real Madrid four times in different competitions over the coming weeks.

Source from : GURDIAN.co.uk

nel Messi strikes to send Barcelona past Shakhtar Donetsk

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Lionel Messi's first-half goal ensure that this tie, which looked over after the first leg, when Shakhtar were obliterated in the Camp Nou, reached a tame conclusion.

Messi's goal, his 48th of the season, set up a probable semi-final tie against their Spanish rivals Real Madrid, barring a miracle comeback from Tottenham Hotspur – 4-0 down after the first leg – on Wednesday night.

Shakhtar, who knocked out Roma in the previous round, started well and dominated the early stages of the game while Barcelona lay back and soaked up the pressure from the Ukrainian side without ever really being troubled.

But, as with every side that has faced Barcelona this season, Shakhtar learned the hard lesson that if you cannot punish the Catalans when you are on top, then they will punish you. And so it proved just before half-time.

Dani Alves found space on the right hand side. He squared the ball to Messi and the Argentinian danced around a few defenders before slotting the ball past Andriy Pyatov in the Shakhtar net. It was his ninth goal in 10 Champions league games this season.

The second half brought more of the same from both sides. Shakhtar continued to press, and required Víctor Valdés to pull off some good saves in the visitors' goal. But Barcelona were once more able to contain with Messi again the star of the show. Barcelona are now in the semi-finals for the fourth successive season and face the prospect of playing Real Madrid four times in different competitions over the coming weeks.

Source from : GURDIAN.co.uk

Barcelona and Manchester United reach Champions semis

Barcelona and Manchester United moved a step closer to a rematch of the 2009 Champions League final yesterday, as both clubs earned victories to extend their first-leg advantage and reach the semis.

Lionel Messi scored his club-record 48th goal of the season in the 43rd minute to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk and secure a comfortable 6-1 aggregate victory that had never looked in doubt.

There was more drama at Old Trafford, where Park Ji-sung secured a 2-1 win for United over 10-man Chelsea, scoring the winner less than a minute after second-half substitute Didier Drogba had equalised for the London club in the 77th.

Javier Hernandez scored the opener in the 43rd, as United advanced 3-1 on aggregate.

"I think we played very, very well against a very, very good team," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "Chelsea played a big part in that game today. I thought we were the better team on the night. In a team game we had some fantastic performances, Park, Chicharito (Hernandez), all over, no one let us down."

Barcelona are now looking at a likely semi-final against arch-rival Real Madrid, which hold a 4-0 edge over Tottenham going into the second leg of their quarter-final today.

United will face the winner of Schalke and defending champion Inter Milan, with the German club having won the first leg 5-2 in Italy.

No rest for the stars

Barcelona, who beat United 2-0 in the final two years ago, only needed to avoid an unlikely collapse in Ukraine following their 5-1 rout in the first leg. But coach Pep Guardiola still opted against giving stars like Messi, Xavi and David Villa a rest despite upcoming games against Madrid in both the league and Copa del Rey final.

While Shakthar came out attacking from the start, Barcelona soaked up the pressure and repeatedly threatened on counter-attacks. Messi provided the breakthrough in the 43rd when he received a pass from Dani Alves before holding off a defender in the box and slotting the ball past Pyatov for his ninth goal in 10 matches in the competition this season.

Source from : The Gleaner