Arsenal vs. Barcelona 2016: VIDEO Highlights, Live Score Updates From Champions League Round Of 16 First Leg

Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his second goal for Barcelona against Arsenal.

Recap: Arsenal were undone by two goals in the final 20 minutes from Lionel Messi as Barcelona took a firm and in all probability decisive grip on the Champions League Round of 16 tie. Having defended diligently and restricted Barcelona early on, Arsenal had just began to gain in confidence and push forward when Barcelona broke the tie open with a devastating counter attack. After contributions from Luis Suarez and Neymar, Messi beat Petr Cech for the first time in his career. And there was no coming back for Arsenal, with Mathieu Flamini giving away a penalty less than a minute after coming on to allow Messi to calmly convert.

 As Arsenal seek to avoid a sixth straight exit in the round of 16, Arsenal have now lost the first leg at home for the fourth consecutive season. And, against a Barcelona team so devastating when given time and space, it is extremely difficult to see any way back for Arsene Wenger’s side at the Camp Nou in three weeks’ time.

For much of the encounter, Wenger had got the mature, disciplined performance he wanted from his side. A slow to start Barcelona side had been kept quiet until the dying seconds of the first half. But Arsenal  crucially failed to take advantage of their openings at the other end, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing the pick of them in the first half.

But Arsenal’s defensive effort had begun to tell in the second half, as Barcelona’s pressure became ever more oppressive. If Suarez had been his usual clinical self they would have been in front earlier and the scoreline by the end more emphatic. As it was, Arsenal had just begun to hit back at Barcelona and commit men forward to getting a goal of their own, when the danger of leaving yourself open against this Barcelona team was laid bare.

At the crucial moment Arsenal were naïve once again, although it was a brilliant goal from players who are simply just a cut above what Arsenal have to offer that proved the home side’s undoing. More frustrating will be the poor touch from Per Mertesacker and clumsy foul from Flamini that allowed Barcelona to surely put the tier beyond doubt.

Match highlights:

FULLTIME: Arsenal 0-2 Barcelona

After doing well to keep Barcelona at bay for 70 minutes, the gulf in quality between the sides bore itself out as Lionel Messi scored two goals to secure what is surely an unassailable lead from this Champions League Round of 16 first leg. After a slow start, Barcelona had increasingly begun to apply the pressure from late in the first half. And as Arsenal pushed forward searching for a goal of their own, Barcelona brilliantly struck on the break. A supreme counter-attacking goal, finished by Messi, broke Arsenal’s resistance, before a clumsy challenge from substitute Mathieu Flamini allowed the Argentine to grab a surely decisive second from the penalty spot late on.

Source : http://www.ibtimes.com/arsenal-vs-barcelona-2016-video-highlights-live-score-updates-champions-league-round-2319581