Barcelona 3 Arsenal 1 (Barcelona 4-3 on agg):ARSENAL WERE far closer to Barcelona this year and elimination is all the more painful since they stood at 1-1 in this match, with a 3-2 lead in the Champions League tie, before Robin van Persie was shown a second yellow card for playing on after Massimo Busacca had blown his whistle. The referee was convinced that the sound had not gone unheard.
The visitors, it has to be agreed, made few openings, but they were on the verge of a late goal that would presumably have downed Barcelona. When Jack Wilshere’s excellent low ball from the right picked out the substitute Nicklas Bendtner, but his first touch was bad and the effort was saved by Victor Valdes.
Nothing came easy to Arsenal.
Their goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, lasted 19 minutes and had to go off after a seemingly mild shot by Daniel Alves bent back a finger. His replacement was Manuel Almunia. The Spaniard’s presence took to six the number of Arsenal players on the pitch who had been in the starting line-up that was beaten 4-1 here last season.
Circumstances beyond the control of the Arsenal manager made some of the changes inevitable, but the London’s side’s unsettling search for a first trophy in six years also contributes to the restlessness.
Of late, for instance, Wenger has downgraded his defensive midfielder Denilson, using him in the starting line-up only in League Cup or FA Cup fixtures. With Alex Song ruled out, he was still on the bench at the Camp Nou.
There was relief in one piece of continuity, with Van Persie fit to start once more after overcoming the knee ligament strain he incurred while scoring in the League Cup final loss to Birmingham City.
It was still a comparatively subdued first half, putting aside the fouls that saw four of the Arsenal line-up cautioned by the Italian referee Busacca. There was a moment to spare for real distinction as Lionel Messi struck in the third minute of stoppage time before the interval.
Fabregas attempted a back flick and so gave possession to Andres Iniesta. The through pass sent Messi clear and he dinked the ball over Almunia before thumping it gleefully into the net.
Arsenal had defeated Barcelona at the Emirates by having far too much zest for wearying opponents towards the end.
In the build-up to the return, Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, left with more regard for Wenger’s squad, had rested some of his men in the weekend victory over Real Zaragoza.
Energy was particularly significant against Arsenal, who had decided to hold a high line in Camp Nou rather than back off and leave the opposition with simple possession.
While the match looked open, it was still Guardiola’s men who looked better-equipped to set up a goal chance.
That, of course, was virtually taken for granted.
If there is one area of reconstruction in which Wenger is starting to take a tentative pride it is a defence that, as he emphasised, has a better record than Manchester United’s in the Premier League.
This is a carefully selected statistic, since Manchester City and Chelsea are more stringent still, but Wenger is entitled to be content. After all, it was no part of Arsenal’s scheme that Thomas Vermaelen should miss virtually all of the programme to date with an Achilles problem.
Given that context, it was all the more bitter that the back four in use here should be undone primarily by the error of their own attacking midfielder: Fabregas.
The situation had changed, all the same, and Arsenal, behind on the away goals rule had no alternative but to revert to their true selves and take the game to the opposition.
Barcelona would have felt at ease with that if it offered more scope for their counter-attacking expertise to gleam.
Guardiola’s team did indeed emerge from the interval with great confidence but it was soon undermined in peculiar fashion.
Samir Nasri’s persistence earned a corner on the left. The midfielder flighted it over and Abou Diaby’s run seemed to distract the defence so severely that Sergio Busquets, a midfielder employed at centre-half because of injury and suspension, headed into his own net.
Arsenal, though, suffered, too, with the second booking for Van Persie, when the referee could not be persuaded that the forward had failed to hear the whistle for offside before kicking the ball. Afterwards the Dutch man said the decision was a “total joke. How can I hear this whistle with 95,000 people jumping up (and shouting)?”
With their lead in the tie, Arsenal still seemed more at peace for a time than Barcelona. They and the home support all knew that a goal was essential for the tie to extra-time. There was stress on Barcelona and when one good cut-back did run to Alves at the corner of the area his shot was aimless. That could never be the start of a trend for his painstaking side. Almunia was outstanding, particularly in one save from Villa but the resistance could not continue.
Barcelona quickly took two goals to assume the lead on aggregate. After 69 minutes, a perfect move saw Iniesta and Villa combining before Xavi put the ball past Almunia.
Two minutes later, Koscielny fouled Pedro and Messi converted the penalty.
Arsenal, a man down, still sought another goal that would then have restored their lead in the tie.
BARCELONA: Valdes, Dani Alves, Busquets, Abidal, Adriano Correia (Maxwell 90), Xavi, Mascherano (Keita 88), Iniesta, Pedro, Villa (Afellay 82), Messi. Subs Not Used: Pinto, Bojan, Milito, Thiago.
ARSENAL: Szczesny (Almunia 19), Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy, Wilshere, Diaby, Rosicky (Arshavin 74), Fabregas (Bendtner 78), Nasri, van Persie. Subs Not Used: Denilson, Squillaci, Eboue, Chamakh. Sent Off: van Persie (56). Booked: Koscielny, Sagna, Wilshere, van Persie.
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
