Two moments of pure magic at Emirates Stadium and Barcelona star, Lionel Messi, finally overcame his Cech “complex” on Tuesday to all but condemn Arsenal to a sixth successive exit at the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
The Gunners battled gallantly to give themselves a chance going into the second leg at the Nou Camp in three weeks’ time – but suffered at the hands of Barcelona’s superstar trio Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
After Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud had come close to giving Arsenal the lead, Messi scored his first goal against keeper Petr Cech at the seventh attempt when he crowned a blistering a counter-attack involving Suarez and Neymar to sweep home a finish after 71 minutes.
Further damage was inflicted seven minutes from time when Arsenal substitute Mathieu Flamini floored Messi with a mistimed challenge and he got up to send Cech the wrong way from the spot. It was his eighth goal against Arsenal in the Champions League.
The five-time World Footballer of the Year had failed to put score against the Czech goalkeeper in six meetings while the latter was at Chelsea.
Suarez hit the post and Cech saved from Neymar as Barcelona took control – but this tie already looks well out of Arsenal’s reach.
Arsenal went out to Barcelona in 2010 and 2011 and that was after a draw and a win at Emirates Stadium – so their chances can be all but written off after this defeat.
The Gunners had their chances but they came to nothing, with Oxlade-Chamberlain a culprit when he allowed Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to save from a huge opportunity before Giroud saw a second-half header well saved.
Arsenal created opportunities in both halves and looked to limit the damage against a side their own manager Arsene Wenger described as “super favourites.”
The defeat means the Gunners have failed to beat the European champions in seven attempts.
Barcelona will be confident of reaching the quarter-finals for the ninth consecutive season after the second leg on March 16 at the Nou Camp.
In the day’s other game, Juventus staged a superb comeback from two goals down to rescue their Champions League hopes and secure a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in Turin, Italy.
Thomas Mueller pounced on a deflected cross to put the visitors ahead in the 43rd minute and Dutchman Arjen Robben doubled the lead early in the second half before goals from Paulo Dybala and substitute Stefano Sturaro drew the hosts level.
Bayern had looked to be cruising to their third straight win at Juventus with close to 70 per cent possession in the first hour.
Yet last season’s finalists, who have been in superb form in recent months, refused to surrender, and staged a scintillating second-half comeback to leave the tie open after a frustrating finish for the Germans.
Bayern, the 2013 champions, shot out of the blocks in search of a quick goal and were almost rewarded when former Juve player Arturo Vidal’s powerful volley forced 38-year-old keeper Gianluigi Buffon to palm his effort around the post.
Mueller then missed an excellent chance when he failed to tap in from two metres out after Robert Lewandowski had set up his team-mate with a superb assist.
The Germany international, however, proved why he is such a prolific goalscorer, when he was in the right place to slot in from 10 metres for his sixth goal in seven Champions League matches this season, after Juve failed to clear a ball in the box.
Robben doubled their lead after the break with his first goal of the year, a trademark move by the Dutchman, who cut inside from the right and curled a left-footed effort into the net.
Dybala, however, made the most of a bad Philipp Lahm clearance to beat Manuel Neuer on the hour and inject new life into the hosts’ performance and trigger a frantic Juve search for an equaliser.
Sturaro beat his marker in the 76th minute before sliding in the equaliser.
