Final, 3-1 Barcelona: The defending champions have seen off their Italian challengers, and Barcelona has taken the game and the series.
Barcelona advances to the Champions League semifinals for the fifth year in a row. It equals Real Madrid’s record that was set between 1956-60.
Messi’s pair of spot-kick goals stood as the difference. Milan was never really in this game, but did trouble Barcelona for a brief moment in time.
The penalty that was awarded when Nesta held Busquets in the area turned the game in favor of the hosts. It will be debated endlessly, but several teams — Arsenal most recently — have come to the Nou Camp and found themselves on the losing end of a referee’s key call.
To Barcelona’s credit, there was really only one team involved in the second half. Iniesta’s goal put the game out of reach, and Milan capitulated at that point.
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93rd minute, 3-1 Barcelona: A fine game has taken an ill-tempered turn.
Nocerino is the latest name to go in the referee’s book.
91st minute, 3-1 Barcelona: A frustrated Mexes is cautioned for an unecessary foul on Busquets.
Messi had just done a quick juggling act before laying it off, and the Milan defender had seen enough.
88th minute, 3-1 Barcelona: The defending champions are not letting up against Milan.
Messi and Alcantara both came close to scoring in the closing stages.
83rd minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Milan’s day just got worse, as Pato leaves the field of play.
His return lasted just 13 minutes. It doesn’t matter. This game is drawing to a close, and Milan has little hope of scoring twice.
75th minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Pique has been taken off by Guardiola.
He is limping a bit, but the crowd’s applause — no one cheering louder than Shakira — will see him to the bench.
Adriano takes his place.
70th minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Pato enters the fray for Boateng.
The Milan forward is fresh off a visit to Sidney Crosby’s doctor in Atlanta. He will get a 20-minute run-out.
69th minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Thiago nearly comes in and adds to the lead. Messi sent him in with a through pass, but the latest gem from Barca’s mine pulled his shot wide.
66th minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Mascherano is booked, after the referee judged that he fouled Robinho with a slide tackle.
It was hard, but he got all ball on the play. True to form, the Argentine pleads his case with wild hand gestures.
63rd minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Xavi, who was doubtful to play with a calf problem, takes his leave.
He is replaced by the 20-year-old Alcantara.
This experience will be invaluable for the youngster’s development.
61st minute, 3-1 Barcelona: The substitution gives Milan an instant lift.
Robinho is sent in alone on goal, but Valdes races off his line to make the save.
61st minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Seedorf’s game has come to an end. Aquilani replaces him.
58th minute, 3-1 Barcelona: It’s showtime at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona is passing the ball around, taunting its opponent with possession.
A demoralized Milan isn’t chasing with any fight or purpose, and that is fine with Barca.
53rd minute, 3-1 Barcelona: Iniesta accepts a gift of a deflection and buries the chance.
Messi drove forward and shot. Mexes was sliding to block it, and the ball took a wicked deflection right onto the path of Iniesta.
Just as he did in the 2010 World Cup Final, Iniesta kept his nerve and scored.
46th minute, 2-1 Barcelona: Milan starts the half with a penalty shout of its own. They actually have two.
Ibrahimovic and Robinho went down after tackles in the Barcelona area, but the referee had a good look at the whole sequence.
46th minute, 2-1 Barcelona: The halftime talk centered around the merits of the second penalty.
Nesta was holding Busquets’ shirt, but it was the sort of thing that happens in any and every soccer game on earth and goes unpunished.
It was only because Puyol set a screen on Nesta and the Barca pair fell that so much attention was drawn to the incident. If Puyol doesn’t screen Nesta, he wouldn’t have held onto Busquets.
Speaking of Busquets. He’s a good player, but he dives. That is all.
It was harsh on the visitors, but Patrick Viera said it himself. Big teams get all the calls. Especially when they are playing at home. It doesn’t matter that they’re playing another big team.
Halftime, 2-1 Barcelona: The first half certainly lived up to its billing.
Messi’s pair of penalties has given the hosts the lead, but Milan is very much alive in this contest.
As they have already shown, Robinho and Ibrahimovic can conjure up something out of nothing. Milan barely saw the ball in the first half, but still managed to score.
Barcelona controlled play, but is guilty of wastefulness in front of goal.
The next goal could put this quarterfinal series to rest. But who will score it?
42nd minute, 2-1 Barcelona: Messi scores the penalty kick.
This time he went to Abbiati’s left. With his first goal, he broke his own Champions League record for most goals in one season.
He now has 14.
41st minute, 1-1: The referee has given Barcelona another penalty.
Nesta was holding onto the shirt of Busquets. When the referee whistled for play to start, he was screened by Puyol and both Barcelona players fell.
39th minute, 1-1: Barca is mounting a furious response to the goal.
Abbiati hass been called on to make two saves. The hosts are shooting from distance and working combinations to create chances.
35th minute, 1-1: Barca’s strategy failed on the goal. It has been swarming Ibrahimovic whenever he gets the ball in the final third.
Credit goes to Robinho for a fine turn and pass to Ibrahimovic.
The Swede was able to draw defenders toward him, and still deliver the killer pass.
Mascherano and Busquets slipped, allowing Milan to beat the offside trap.
32nd minute, 1-1 Barcelona: It’s game on. Milan has equalized.
Ibrahimovich sent Nocerino into the area, and the dependable midfielder finished with some composure.
25th minute, 1-0 Barcelona: It’s one-way traffic, and it’s headed toward Milan’s goal.
Iniesta, Fabregas and Messi pinged it around until they found a seam.
Messi received a pass over the top and shot, but it was right at Abbiati.
19th minute, 1-0 Barcelona: Puyol nearly gets on the end of Xavi’s corner kick.
A second goal would probably put the game out of the Italians’ reach. But strange things have happened in the Champions League this season.
15th minute, 1-0 Barcelona: The early goal was just what the home team needed.
It takes the nerves out the game, and forces Milan to take risks going forward.
Barca has shown a willingness to drop deep and hit Milan on the counter — with speed.
11th minute, 1-0 Barcelona: Messi buries the penalty low and to Abbiati’s right.
10th minute, 0-0: It’s a penalty for Barcelona.
Antonini fouled Messi in the area. He slid in and caught more of Messi than the ball.
Ninth minute, 0-0: Barcelona has taken control of the game in these early goings.
It’s passing the ball crisply and finding the small openings in the Milan defense.
Seventh minute, 0-0: It’s more Barca magic in the final third.
Alves found Iniesta with a hard cross from the right. Iniesta flicked it over the top to Messi, but the record-breaking Argentine pulled his shot wide.
Fifth minute, 0-0: Messi has Barcelona’s first shot on goal.
He worked with Fabregas and Iniesta on a quick counter-attack, but Abbiati made the save.
First minute, 0-0: Barcelona is going with three at the back. Pique is flanked by Mascherano and Puyol.
Pregame: There’s no major news as far as lineups are concerned.
Barcelona will give Xavi a run out at the Nou Camp.
Milan is going with veterans Seedorf and Ambrosini to counter Barcelona’s mighty midfield.
It also looks like there’s a Pato signing on the bench. The Brazilian forward recently traveled to the U.S.A. to sort out his chronic muscle problems.
2:30 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
FC Barcelona
Victor Valdes (1), goalkeeper
Dani Alves (2), right back
Gerard Pique (3), center back
Javier Mascherano (14), center back
Carles Puyol (5), left back
Sergio Busquets (16), midfielder
Cesc Fabregas (4), midfielder
Xavi (6), midfielder
Andres Iniesta (8), midfielder
Lionel Messi (10), forward
Isaac Cuenca (23), striker
Substitutes
Jose Pinto (13), goalkeeper
Adriano (21), defender
Thiago Alcantara (11), midfielder
Seydou Keita (15), midfielder
Alexis Sanchez (9), forward
Pedro (17), forward
Cristian Tello (37), striker
AC Milan
Chritian Abbiati (32), goalkeeper
Ignazio Abate (20), right back
Phillipe Mexes (5), center back
Alessandro Nesta (13), center back
Luca Antonini (77), left back
Clarence Seedorf (10), midfielder
Antonio Nocerino (22), midfielder
Massimo Ambrosini (23), midfielder
Kevin-Prince Boateng (27), midfielder
Robinho (70), forward
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11), striker
Substitutes
Marco Amelia (1), goalkeeper
Daniele Bonera (25), defender
Mario Yepes (76), defender
Alberto Aquilani (18), midfielder
Urby Emanuelson (28), midfielder
Pato (7), forward
Maxi Lopez (21), forward
8 a.m. ET: The eyes of the soccer world turn to Barcelona on Tuesday, as AC Milan meets FC Barcelona. The game will decide the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal series between these two giants.
Last week in Milan saw the first leg end in a scoreless draw, so both teams have it all to play for in Tuesday’s contest. Simply put, Barcelona will progress to the semifinal round with a win a victory at home. Milan can progress with a draw, provided that it scores at least once. It should make for an enthralling contest.
The defending champion Barcelona will look to the world’s brightest star, Lionel Messi, to see it through. Messi, who is perched on 12 Champions League goals this season, will break the record (he shares) for most goals in the competition with his next one.
But he may have to do so without the services of Barca’s midfield conductor Xavi. The FIFA World Cup winner missed practice on Monday, and it has been reported that a calf problem could keep him out of the game. Andres Iniesta will shoulder the creative burden for the Spanish club.
Milan hopes its free-scoring striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be at his unstoppable best. The Swedish dynamo spent one unhappy season at Barcelona, and is eyeing revenge against his former boss Pep Guardiola. In recent weeks he has partnered with Robinho, who is playing some of the best soccer of his career, to form a devestating attack for the defending Serie A champion.
Join us right here at 2:45 p.m. for Barcelona versus AC Milan. We’ll have all the action right here.
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