Champions League: Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal

The highlight of the match will fall to one off-side call. Robin Van Persie, who had gotten caught behind the Barcelona defense, was whistled and in frustration he kicks the ball behind Victor Valdez's goal. A second-yellow, companion to another bit of hot-hotheadedness in the first half, sent the young Dutch striker off, leaving Arsenal down a man if not a goal.

If things stayed as they were, the Gunners were through, but the blaugrana were tough enough to keep out of goal on even terms. Was anyone sure that they weren't going to score? As it turned out, Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez, who hadn't scored in the Champions League in years, became the most unlikely hero. The man derided by some as a pass-happy stat machine showed his quality as the one man not double or triple teamed in the area all night. The goal settled the deadlock and put Barca through to extra-time, but they still needed a goal to go through. Messi's made penalty (after Pedro was tripped in the area) went in and a collective sigh went out of the Camp Nou bubble. Was it a soft penalty? Maybe in the rough-and-tumble Premier League, maybe Koscielny was tired and reached in with a late leg, but a penalty nonetheless.

Then, the riotous indignation began. The fix was in, UEFA hates English teams, and Barcelona paid off the refs. It's a sad state of affairs that real corruption is rampant in World Football, but in the Champions League? Against the most powerful league in the world? Fat chance.

You want reasons for why Arsenal lost the match and couldn't hold their tenuous aggregate lead in this? The game was at the Camp Nou. That's an easy one. Other than delusional madridistas or gooners, did anyone believe that the Gunners would hold them to a scoreless draw? Forget also the talent disparity, it's fairly even between them if we remove Messi from the equation, but Barcelona are just more experienced in this tournament. Lastly, and by far the more important reason, was tactics. Barcelona played their so-called naive approach to the game and Arsenal gave up their usual set-up for the Jose Mourinho route; defending with the entire bus in the area and giving very little support to Van Persie.
Did they forget everything they learned? They played essentially four central midfielders to clog Barcelona's approach and stifled their own attack by limiting the wing play. Zero shots on goal for the North Londoners? Seriously?

They did not attack the injury riddled Barcelona defense, did not pressure a rusty Victor Valdez and gave fidgety Javier Mascherano plenty of time on the ball. Barcelona were there to be had and they, themselves, for their mistimed challenges or faulty back-heels, for their lack pace or lack of sense, and not UEFA or refs or snotty foreigners, are to be blamed for being knocked out of another tournament in 2011.