Barcelona's treble hopes were hanging in the balance after they were
strategically outplayed in a 2-0 defeat by AC Milan in their Champions
League last-16 first-leg match on Wednesday.
Second-half goals by Ghanaians Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley
Muntari left Barcelona with a huge task in the second leg after a night
when Lionel Messi was conspicuously quiet for the Catalans.
Barcelona were fuming about the first goal when the ball appeared
to strike the hand of Cristian Zapata before it ricocheted into the
path of Boateng to fire home in the 57th minute.
There was no doubt about the second, however, as Stephan El
Shaarawy lifted the ball up for Muntari to volley past the helpless
Victor Valdes with 10 minutes left.
La Liga leaders and Copa del Rey semi-finalists Barcelona, who
failed to score for only the second time this season, dominated the
first half in typical fashion but struggled to get past Milan's two
lines of four defenders.
The Catalans' starting line-up featured 10 players from their
youth academy and nine internationals with world and European champions
Spain.
They were facing a Milan side patched together during the course
of the season after a firesale of top players during the off season to
help balance the books.
The contrast was apparent in the first half as Barca passed the
ball around with amazing speed and accuracy with an almost telepathic
understanding.
Milan's approach was much more haphazard as they struggled to
string passes together, lost possession in key areas of midfield and
thumped hopeful balls forward.
"The result is what it is. We had the game under control, although
admittedly we didn't create too many clear chances and neither did
they," Barcelona's interim coach Jordi Roura, standing in for Tito
Vilanova who is recovering from throat surgery, told a news conference.
"We hoped we could wear them down. Their first goal was an
isolated attack following a shot and a rebound." "It's a bad result but
I'm absolutely convinced that we can turn this around in the second leg
with the support of our crowd."
ALLEGRI UNMOVED
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri was typically unflappable.
"The boys deserved this result. They didn't give anything away at
a defensive level and they made the most of the we had," he said in his
usual monotone.
"We made some mistakes in the first half but we improved a lot in the second... the tie is very open."
Milan, who failed to win in their previous seven meetings with
Barcelona, fired an early warning shot when Muntari went close with a
dipping 30-metre volley which flew over the crossbar after five minutes.
El Shaarawy should have done better when he was sent clear by
Kevin-Prince Boateng's flicked pass but failed to control the ball as he
raced towards goal, allowing Carles Puyol to intercept.
From the corner, Boateng, who played for Ghana at the 2010 World
Cup, hooked the ball just wide of the far post, giving Barca another
scare.
Barca, who could have had a penalty when Dani Alves' whipped
cross clearly hit Philippe Mexes' outstretched arm, took control with
their familiar slick passing. But they did not create many openings with
Messi repeatedly blocked out by a pack of defenders who hounded him
every time he got the ball.
The second half started with more Barcelona possession before
Milan struck the first blow. A short free kick was played by Riccardo
Montolivo, his low shot struck Jordi Alba, ricocheted against Zapata and
fell to Boateng to sweep into the goal.
Barca protested furiously, clearly unsettled and the match
degenerated into a niggly affair, with the visitors infuriating the
crowd at one point by keeping possession after a drop ball.
Andres Iniesta was close to equalising with a shot which swerved
wide while an out-of-sorts Messi blasted a free kick high into the
stands.
Instead, Milan added another when Muntari sent the 75,000 crowd into raptures with a stunning finish to an excellent move.
"We did not play with our usual fluidity," added Roura. "We did
not create the chances we normally create. I don't think it's correct to
talk about the referee." The return leg is on March 12
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