Champion's League: Iniesta's late heartbreaker

Chelsea 1 - 1 Barcelona
2ND LEG: 1 - 1 (Agg)

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Ten-man Barcelona robbed Chelsea of a place in the Champions League final in the cruellest of fashions with a 93rd-minute away goal at Stamford Bridge.
A stunning first-half volley from Michael Essien looked to have earned Chelsea victory and set up a repeat of last year's Champions League final against Manchester United.

But Andres Iniesta beat Petr Cech in the third minute of added time to send the Spanish bench and their fans delirious and leave Guus Hiddink crestfallen.
At the final whistle, Chelsea's players confronted referee Tom Ovrebo, who had waved away at least four penalty appeals during the game.

The scenes descended into anger when Drogba emerged from the tunnel to confront the Norwegian official and was shown a yellow card.
Ovrebo had a poor game and was marshalled down to the tunnel by Chelsea stewards as Drogba continued to complain about his performance.
The Ivorian then vented his fury by shouting "it's a f***ing disgrace'' down the lens of a TV camera, and the fall-out from Drogba's behaviour may yet be met by a UEFA investigation.
It had all looked so promising for Chelsea when Essien, who missed six months of the season while he recovered from a serious knee ligament injury, despatched a 20-yard volley beyond the despairing Victor Valdes.

Chelsea's collective desire to reach the final once more was epitomised in the way they took the fire out of Barcelona's early football.

The Catalans, missing their two first-choice centre-backs through injury and suspension, played some neat, fast and accurate football in the first 20 minutes.
It was a perfect example of the beautiful game mastered by coach Pep Guardiola but it lacked the cutting edge in the absence of the injured Thierry Henry.

The Barca attack has shared more than 90 goals between them this season but Chelsea managed to prevent them scoring in 180 minutes of high-tempo football.
That Chelsea scored with their first real attack of the game would have left the Barca coach bitterly disappointed.

Frank Lampard's attempted cross cannoned off Yaya Toure and Essien despatched his volley into the net via the underside of the crossbar.
It sparked Chelsea into life and, for the remainder of the opening half, they bossed the game.
Lampard almost put Drogba through in the 22nd minute but Valdes managed to beat the Ivorian to the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
Barca were rocking now and a catalogue of fouls by Dani Alves was finally punished with a yellow card when he brought down Ashley Cole. It meant the full-back was out of the final.
But Ovrebo waved away penalty appeals from Chelsea when Drogba, a colossus in attack all night, was brought down by Eric Abidal.
The second half promised more drama and it did not disappoint. Drogba missed a gilt-edged chance when Florent Malouda and Anelka put the Ivorian clear in the 52nd minute.

Somehow, Valdes got a foot to his shot to keep Barca's hopes alive.
But the Catalans were in deep trouble in the 65th minute when Abidal brought down the free-running Anelka and, as the last defender, was shown the red card.
Chelsea continued to take the initiative as Barca were reduced to long-range shots.
In the 70th minute, Valdes saved Guardiola's side again when a Lampard shot took a wicked deflection.

But two minutes later Drogba was replaced by Juliano Belletti, much to the crowd's surprise and the Ivorian's clear disapproval.
As the clock ran down, Chelsea continued to pour forward in search of a decisive second to calm the nerves but, although they had made Barcelona look very ordinary, there was a sting in the tail.

Chelsea's heroes had fought for every ball as if their lives depended on it but they allowed Iniesta too much room and, when he beat Cech from 20 yards in the 93rd minute, chaos descended on Stamford Bridge.
But there was still time for more drama when Michael Ballack's goalbound effort seemed to hit a defender's arm only for Ovrebo to wave away more appeals.
Ballack was shown the yellow card for protesting and, when the final whistle sounded, Barca celebrated in unbridled fashion while Chelsea's players began their attacks on Ovrebo.

It was an unsavoury end to Chelsea's European campaign that may yet have further repercussions for the English side.

Champion's League: O'Shea the unlikely hero

Semi Final Leg 1 Old Trafford
Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal

Unlikely hero John O'Shea gave Manchester United a priceless 1-0 lead to take into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Arsenal.
The defender's nerveless 17th-minute effort was the least Sir Alex Ferguson's side deserved for a near faultless display, in which Manuel Almunia made a quartet of stunning saves and Cristiano Ronaldo rattled the Gunners' crossbar.

In addition, Ryan Giggs had a goal controversially disallowed for offside on his 800th appearance, meaning Arsenal headed home glad to still have a chance of reaching Rome on May 27.

However, having indicated on Tuesday a single-goal victory and a clean sheet would represent a perfect result, Ferguson got exactly what he wanted and his side must be favourites to get through.

A game of pure football had been expected after the sterile affair in Catalonia on Tuesday night. The problem for Arsenal was only United produced it.

The first half-hour was as one-sided as a game at this level is possible to be.

With screening midfielders Alexandre Song and Abou Diaby failing completely to quell the tide of onrushing home players, Wenger's team were almost submerged before they had managed so much as a shot.

United would have been in front with only a minute on the clock had Almunia not managed to claw away a looping Wayne Rooney header that seemed destined to drop in.

It proved to be the sign of things to come for Arsenal, who were pulled apart at regular intervals, with Almunia resembling King Canute trying to hold back the tide.

The Spaniard pulled off two splendid stops in the space of a minute to deny Ronaldo.

His first was the pick, parrying a firm header from point-blank range after Carlos Tevez had crossed. A curling shot from the boot of the Ballon D'Or winner followed shortly afterwards which Almunia was also equal to.

It would be too simplistic to say Tevez was the catalyst for such relentless attacking.

However, it is undeniable the Argentinian triggered Saturday's amazing comeback against Tottenham and, surprisingly selected ahead of record signing Dimitar Berbatov, Tevez kept going exactly the same way.

It was a close-range effort from Tevez, saved by Almunia, that proved to be the prelude to United's opener.

Anderson's corner fell kindly for Michael Carrick at the far post, with the England star electing for a firmly driven cross into the six-yard box.

Against his former club, Mikael Silvestre was eager to make a positive impression. That did not include deflecting the ball to O'Shea.

Leaning back, the Irishman crashed his shot into the roof of Almunia's net.

O'Shea has form for that kind of thing. A couple of years ago, he scored a last-minute winner at Anfield and then smacked one in at Everton in what turned out to be a title-winning victory.

If Arsenal thought the second half at least gave them an opportunity to enjoy a more even share of possession and chances, they were mistaken.

A rocket shot from Ronaldo cannoned away for a corner off Silvestre, the same player also sliding in to clear a low Evra cross bound for Tevez.

Anderson blazed over from the edge of the area, which was perhaps no surprise given he has not scored for United in almost two years since arriving from FC Porto. Under the circumstances, it was probably just as well an offside flag had earlier been incorrectly raised against the Brazilian as he threatened to charge clear after collecting an O'Shea pass.

Having given so much, Tevez was not amused to be replaced by Berbatov midway through the second-half.

Not that a capacity crowd had much time to consider his reaction after a loud rendition of 'Argentina' that followed 'sign him up', a cry seemingly destined to go unheeded.

Attention was diverted by the thunderous 25-yard effort from Ronaldo that smacked into the crossbar as United strained every sinew in their search for a second.

In response, Cesc Fabregas was off target with a couple of half-chances, Emmanuel Adebayor's volley flew over and substitute Nicolas Bendtner might well have equalised with a header from the free-kick that caused the collision which forced Rio Ferdinand off with what seemed like a rib injury.

The sight of Ferdinand trying to get back on even though Jonny Evans had already replaced him, emphasised how much this means to United.

Arsenal will need to exceed that determination if they are to overhaul the deficit next week.

Champion's League: Disciplined Chelsea frustrate Barca

Semi Final Leg 1 Nou Camp
Barcelona 0 - 0 Chelsea

Chelsea's defensive discipline earned them a precious goalless draw against Barcelona to make them slight favourites to reach their second successive Champions League final.
Coach Guus Hiddink's pre-match prediction that the first leg of this semi-final tie would be saturated in goals proved incorrect as Chelsea put in a highly competent defensive shift.

Hiddink's tactic of giving holding roles to both John Obi Mikel and Michael Ballack worked superbly and Lionel Messi was marked out of the contest by Jose Bosingwa.

Barca's strike force of Samuel Eto'o, Messi and Thierry Henry have scored 90 goals between them in all competitions so far this season.

But Henry proved to be Barca's real danger man when he twice forced Petr Cech into important saves in the opening half.

However, to a man, Chelsea were defiant and disciplined with full-backs Branislav Ivanovic and Bosingwa faultless while John Terry and Alex were solid as a rock.

Hiddink will be more than pleased with the night's work and Chelsea should have enough in their artillery to go on and finish the job in the return match next week.

The atmosphere in the stadium was electric with the Nou Camp faithful in full voice.

The hosts almost grabbed an early lead when a free-kick from the left reached Samuel Eto'o at the far post after Cech misread the flight of the ball. However, the Cameroon striker's far-post header flashed across the face of the goal with Rafael Marquez unable to connect.

Cech was in trouble again in the 11th minute when he surprisingly opted to punch clear a cross by Eric Abidal.

Luckily for the Czech, none of the Barcelona forwards were quick enough to capitalise on his error.

But Barcelona soon gained control of the midfield and when Messi slipped Daniel Alves clear, the full-back's dangerous low cross was cleared decisively by Alex.

Moments later, Eto'o tried his luck from 20 yards but his low drive was more than a little wayward and Cech was untroubled by his effort.

Barcelona pegged Chelsea back with a series of corners as the half-hour approached.

Chelsea's defence repelled the danger every time but the Blues were forced to camp in their own half as Barcelona looked for an opening.

In the 28th minute Xavi almost broke the deadlock with a long-range drive that flashed past Cech's right-hand upright.

Moments later Ballack was booked for a foul on Henry but the Barca player certainly made the most of it as he rolled on the ground as though he had been shot.

In the 31st minute though Henry was fit enough to unleash an angled drive that Cech gathered at the near post.

Cech pulled out another outstanding save to deny Henry again in the 34th minute as Barcelona continued to test Chelsea's defensive resolve at every opportunity.

Florent Malouda appeared to catch Alves in an off-the-ball incident and moments later the pair were involved in another spat which German referee Wolfgang Stark again chose to ignore.

But Chelsea should have been ahead when a dreadful back pass by Marquez put Didier Drogba clear in the 38th minute but the Ivorian's shot was twice saved superbly by Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Barcelona suffered a major blow in the 50th minute when Marquez went down clutching the back of his knee and was carried off with possible ligament damage. He was immediately replaced by Carles Puyol.

But the Catalans won a corner in the 58th minute from which Messi volleyed high over the crossbar from 20 yards.

But Chelsea's defending had been admirable from the kick-off and Hiddink's side showed no sign of capitulating.

Whenever the home side did break through they found Cech in their way. In the 61st minute he proved his worth yet again when he blocked a ferocious angled drive from Alves.

In the 67th minute the former Sevilla star sent a free-kick just over the crossbar and Cech denied Eto'o with a fabulous save when the Barca striker got free of Alex for the first time in the game in the 69th minute.

Frank Lampard was replaced by Juliano Belletti in the 71st minute as Chelsea looked to protect the stalemate.

Puyol was booked for a foul on Michael Essien in the 75th minute and the card rules him out of the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

But Barcelona substitute Bojan Krkic could have won the first leg for his side but he somehow headed a cross from Alves over the bar from point-blank range, and there was still time for fellow sub Alexander Hleb to be denied by another great save from Cech in stoppage time.

It was their last chance and it could have costly repercussions for Pep Guardiola and his side at Stamford Bridge next week.

Barca's Xavi: La Liga better than Premier League

Barcelona midfielder Xavi says the Primera Liga is better than England's Premier League and hopes his side can show it by going all the way in this season's Champions League.

The playmaker had played his whole career at the Nou Camp.
Barca were joined in the semi-finals by three English sides last season, only to be knocked out by eventual champions Manchester United over two legs and this time, three of the last four teams are the same. Like United and Chelsea, Barca have progressed to the semi-final stage once again, while Arsenal are the other side still left in the competition.

The Catalans beat Arsene Wenger's side in the final in 2006 to claim their last major trophy and could set up a repeat performance this time around. Indeed, to win the Champions league for only the third time in their history, Barcelona must overcome two English sides, starting with Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola's side meet the Londoners in the first leg on Tuesday and Xavi hopes his side can show that Spain's top flight is stronger than England's.

''There's not much between the two leagues but I think our league is stronger - it is better technically and there is more tactical order,'' he said on Monday. ''Maybe the Premier League wins in terms of intensity and rhythm.''

''And it's true that there are three English teams in the semi-finals, but we are not here by coincidence.''

Xavi, who began his career at the Catalan club playing alongside Guardiola, had just returned from a bad injury the last time Barcelona won the Champions League and watched on from the bench.

And despite featuring earlier on in the tournament that year, the Spain midfielder admits he is desperate to be involved in a Barca triumph this time around.

''I felt part of that win, but as a professional you want to be out there as a protagonist.

''It's a thorn in my side and I'm desperate for us to get there again so I can be part of it,'' he said.

Xavi believes his team are in better shape than this time last year.

''We are pressurising up front again, we are better tactically, we play with more intensity and more rhythm - and physically we are also better,'' he said.

But the midfielder, who has played a record 107 European games for Barcelona, believes the series will be decided at Stamford Bridge in two weeks.

''Whatever happens, it will be decided at Stamford Bridge... it's very difficult for a tie like this to be decided in the first match,'' he said.

Xavi praised Chelsea pair John Terry and Michael Essien, but hopes the Londoners will miss defensive duo Ricardo Carvalho (injured) and Ashley Cole (suspended).

He added: ''Essien is one of the best players in the world in his position - he's so good at breaking up play. Terry is one of the best defenders out there, he's an admirable footballer. Carvalho and Cole are notable absences, though, so let's hope they miss them.''

Had Cole been available, the left-back would have lined up against right winger Lionel Messi. Jose Bosingwa will now have that unenviable task, but Xavi believes the Argentina forward could be the key player in this tie.

''It's fantastic to have him in our squad and he could be the key man in this series.

''If we win titles and have success collectively, it will be easier for him to win awards like the FIFA World Player or the Golden Ball - he deserves them,'' he said.

Keita targets clean sheet to take to Chelsea

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has stressed the importance of not conceding a goal in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea at the Nou Camp.

In their last 11 games, Barca have kept eight clean sheets and Keita believes they need to do likewise tomorrow against a Chelsea team he admits are a "great side''.

"It's very important to win and not to let a goal in,'' said Keita.

Barca are in the midst of a hectic end to the season as they chase honours on three fronts.

Not only are they in the Champions League semi-finals, but they are four points clear at the top of the Primera Division summit with five games remaining and also in final of the Copa del Rey.

That means the Catalan giants have little respite between matches, but nevertheless Keita insists coach Pep Guardiola's preparations are still meticulous and they will know everything they need to know about Chelsea by the time they face Guus Hiddink's men.

"The coach does a great job in preparing for matches. We see a lot of their games and we analyse their weak points and the dangers they could pose to us,'' he said.

"They (Chelsea) are an opponent we know well, they are a great side. We've seen how they play in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

"They are a difficult team, with physically very strong players, and a team who are capable of causing you problems at any time.''

Barca's bid to win their first Primera Division title since 2006 suffered a setback on Saturday when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Valencia, ending a run of seven successive league wins for Guardiola's side.

However, Barca are still in a strong position above arch rivals Madrid, and Keita insists the players remain in confident mood.

"The team is very calm because we are working well. We are only thinking of ourselves, it's not necessary to look at what Madrid are doing. If we do things well then in the end we will not have to suffer,'' he added.

Tomorrow's clash with Chelsea is not the only huge match Barca have this week.

On Saturday they must travel to the Bernabeu where they face second-placed Madrid in a match that could go a long way to deciding the Primera Division title.

Barca midfielder Xavi said on Catalunya Radio: "If we win at the Bernabeu, the league would be decided.

"We have the hope and the desire to win there, and sign off an excellent campaign for the team.

"We've worked hard to get where we are, we now have a key week for the Champions League and league.''

Champion's League: Excellent Arsenal set up all-English semi

Arsenal 3 - 0 Villarreal

2ND LEG: 4 - 1 (Agg)

Arsenal have been portrayed as a club in crisis this season but they are now in the Champions League semi-final after sweeping past Villarreal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie were on the scoresheet as Arsene Wenger's youngsters defied their injury worries in defence to wrap up the tie 4-1 on aggregate within an hour.

The Spaniards had Sebastian Eguren dismissed, and the hosts were then able to conserve energy for their FA Cup clash against Chelsea at the weekend.

If they win at Wembley there will be genuine hope of getting something out a season where many predicted them to slip out of the traditional top four in England.

Wenger himself admits he has been amazed by how his young players have gone 18 Barclays Premier League games without defeat - and this performance will have impressed him too.

But nothing has been easy at Arsenal this season. Earlier in the campaign William Gallas was stripped of the captaincy, now Wenger is desperately short on numbers in at the back.

Ahead of this clash, Bacary Sagna was taken ill, meaning an entire back four was missing as Arsenal protected their slender away-goals advantage.

Kolo Toure held together a defence that contained Emmanuel Eboue at right-back, Kieran Gibbs at left-back and inexperienced Lucasz Fabianski in goal.

Villarreal had problems of their own, with Marcos Senna, the cornerstone of their midfield, out injured.

They did have Robert Pires stationed on the left flank, meaning it was Arsenal's past versus the club's future, as Walcott was raiding down the right.

It was a fascinating clash, with Walcott almost putting the ball out of play early on when Pires picked up a knock, only to carry on with the ball to set up an attack.

The 20-year-old showed his ruthless side again when he netted the opener in the 10th minute.

Eboue slipped the ball forward from the right, Cesc Fabregas' flick allowed Walcott to run through on goal, with the England winger chipping home high over goalkeeper Diego Lopez.

It was reward for Arsenal's bright start after Van Persie went close with a header that cleared the crossbar and a long-range effort that Lopez gathered at the second attempt.

The hosts were inches from adding a second goal after Van Persie's powerful free-kick was saved by Lopez. Adebayor's follow-up header got deflected on target but Gonzalo Rodriguez hacked off the line.

All eyes were on the assistant referee but it would have been the tightest of calls if he had flagged for a goal.

The equation for Villarreal shifted only slightly - they still needed a goal.

Diego Godin had given Wenger's side an early scare when he got on the end of Giuseppe Rossi's free-kick and forced Fabianski into a save with his scissor-kick.

The visitors then caused some nervous moments in Arsenal's defence before the break, with Rossi getting sight of goal at the near post before the hosts scrambled clear.

Pires also had a shot blocked from the edge of the area, while Godin headed over from a corner in first-half stoppage-time.

Manuel Pellegrini's men sensed that it was their time to apply pressure on Arsenal's makeshift defence. It meant all hands on deck for Wenger's makeshift back line.

Arsenal's best option was to counter attack. Van Persie was making runs from deep to cause Villarreal problems, with Godin picking up a booking for stopping one run.

No opponent got close enough to Van Persie on the hour mark and he sent through Adebayor, who took one touch before finishing past Lopez with the outside of his boot.

The third came from Van Persie's penalty and also saw Eguran dismissed.

Godin took Walcott's legs away in the penalty area but escaped a second booking for the offence. Eguran, who got a yellow card in the first half, got another caution for dissent and then disgracefully put his hands on the referee while protesting more. Van Persie kept his nerve and fired in the spot-kick.

Wenger's goalscorers were then given a breather to rest for the battles ahead.

Champion's League: Keita kills off Bayern hopes

Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Barcelona

2ND LEG: 1 - 5 (Agg)

Bayern Munich shared a 1-1 draw with Barcelona to partly make up for a crushing defeat in Spain last week - but they were still eliminated from the Champions League 5-1 on aggregate.
Franck Ribery gave Bayern the lead in the 47th minute, but Barca hit back with Seydou Keita's drive restoring parity in the 73rd minute.

It was always going to take a miracle for Bayern to overturn the substantial 4-0 deficit in front of their own fans at the Allianz Arena and, as expected, it proved to be a bridge too far for the Bundesliga side.

Bayern made four changes to the team which crashed to defeat in Spain last week with Lucio and Philipp Lahm reinforcing the defence in place of Breno and Massimo Oddo, while Jose Ernesto Sosa started on the wing for Hamit Altintop and Andreas Ottl took over from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Barcelona lost Thierry Henry to a fever with Keita given the nod. Eric Abidal took the place of the suspended Rafael Marquez.

If Bayern were going to make a game of it, it was imperative they scored early on and they had the chance to do so in the sixth minute when Sosa robbed Abidal and swung in a tempting cross which Luca Toni unconvincingly flicked wide from eight yards.

Toni had the ball in the back of the net a minute later, but the linesman's flag had long since been raised to deny him.

Italy international Toni then turned provider for Franck Ribery to fire just over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area as the home side made a bright start.

Barca needed time to get into the game, but their first spell of pressure coincided with several incursions from Messi.

He set up Samuel Eto'o in the 34th minute, but the Cameroon international's shot was blocked by Lucio.

Daniel Alves then shot over the crossbar before Martin Demichelis made a crucial sliding challenge to deny Messi.

Bayern weathered the first storm adequately and returned to the other end for Toni to blaze his angled drive over the crossbar after being fed by Van Bommel.

And the hosts went ahead two minutes into the second half when Ze Roberto slid a pass into the path of Ribery, who shifted the ball onto his preferred right foot and fired high into Victor Valdes' goal.

Even though their overall advantage was barely dented by the goal, Barca's pride was still at stake and they showed they did not want to be beaten on the night.

They had an appeal for a penalty waved away by referee Roberto Rosetti when Mark van Bommel used his strength to barge Andres Iniesta to the ground.

A skilful exchange of passes led to Barca's equaliser in the 73rd minute as their slick one-touch football carved open the Bayern defence with Keita providing the finish from 25 yards.

Iniesta, Eto'o and Xavi Hernandez all combined to provide Keita with the chance to put the tie beyond any doubt and set up a semi-final meeting with Chelsea for Pep Guardiola's men.

Champion's League: Wenger demands positive performance

Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal to take charge of their own destiny in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final against Villarreal.

The Gunners are in the driving seat after Emmanuel Adebayor's away goal earned them a 1-1 draw at El Madrigal last week.

A goalless draw at the Emirates would be enough to seal Arsenal a place in the semi-finals.

But Wenger insisted: ''We know we are in a situation where we don't want to be tentative at all. We want to be decisive but you can only do that if you decide to play in a very positive way.

''I don't believe that we are a team who can play for 0-0, that's not our natural way.''

He added on the Arsenal website: ''I don't expect any weaknesses from them. I expect some strength from us to say: 'Listen, we have the opportunity to get to the semi finals, let's take it'.

''I am confident we will and we have the quality needed to do that but you know from their game that they can be dangerous as well.''

Champion's League: Messi stars in rout

Barcelona 4 - 0 Bayern Munich

Barcelona took a giant step towards the semi-finals of the Champions League as they thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0 at the Nou Camp.
Barca's rampant strikeforce did the damage in a completely one-sided first half.

The Catalans raced into a two-goal lead within 12 minutes as Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o struck early on.

And the locals' dominance brought two more goals before half-time, with Thierry Henry setting up Messi for his second seven minutes before the break and then slotting home a fourth himself just before the interval.

Bayern had advanced to the quarter-finals in style, thrashing Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate to seal a spot in the last eight.

But Jurgen Klinsmann's side have been less impressive in the Bundesliga.

They came into this match in fourth place and on the back of a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Following that disappointment, Klinsmann opted to drop goalkeeper Michael Rensing, while Philip Lahm remains short of fitness and was left on the bench.

With striker Miroslav Klose out injured and Lukas Podolski set to leave the club at the end of the season, Bayern began with Italy striker Luca Toni alone up front.

But Barcelona, with only Eric Abidal missing from their strongest XI, fielded a customary attack-minded line-up.

With Xavi and Andres Iniesta pulling the strings in midfield and Messi, Eto'o and Henry causing havoc up front, Pep Guardiola's side soon took control of the game.

Henry almost put the home side in front after six minutes, but the former Arsenal man saw his shot cleared off the line by Martin Demichelis.

That was a warning for Bayern and three minutes later, Barca went in front.

The Catalans tore the visitors' defence apart with a flowing move and Eto'o set up Messi, who drilled a neat finish past Hans-Jorg Butt to open the floodgates.

And three minutes later, Messi returned the compliment as he slid a deadly ball into the path of Eto'o and the Cameroon striker clinically slotted past the helpless Butt.

Messi should have had a penalty five minutes later when he was brought down in the box by Christian Lell.

But instead, the Argentina forward received a booking for his troubles as the Nou Camp roared with disapproval.

Henry then drilled a shot just wide, but the flag was already up for offside and his effort would not have counted.

The France striker was a constant threat to the Bayern defence and he set up Barca's third seven minutes before the break.

Henry beat his marker for pace on the left and flashed a low centre across the six-yard box which Messi poked home with his outstretched right leg to give Barcelona a three-goal lead.

And two minutes before the break, the Catalans scored again.

Messi charged in from the right flank and laid the ball off to Eto'o, who in turn found Henry and the unmarked Frenchman slid a low angled drive into the bottom right-hand corner to virtually seal Barca's passage to the semi-final within just 45 minutes.

Bayern were also lucky not to go down to 10 men as former Barca midfielder Mark Van Bommel got away with a cynical elbow on Messi just before Henry slotted home.

Iniesta then miscued a shot from six yards out as the locals threatened to go five ahead before the break.

And their dominance continued after the interval.

Messi's shot was pushed onto the woodwork by Butt just short of the hour-mark and Iniesta drilled an effort wide of the target with 12 minutes left.

At the other end, Carles Puyol's last-ditch tackle had denied Ze Roberto shortly before that.

But in truth, Bayern had not been in the game and a goal would have been flattering to the Germans.

Iniesta was denied by Butt late on and Messi's injury-time effort was bizarrely kept out by his own team-mate Seydou Keita, hitting the Cameroon midfielder in the face and ending up out of play.

Rafa Marquez forced a booking late on and will miss the return leg in Munich, but Barcelona should now progress to the semi-finals for the second year running to face either Liverpool or Chelsea.

And it looks as if another grudge tie with the Londoners is on the cards after Guus Hiddink's side triumphed 3-1 at Anfield.

Champion's League: Adebayor stunner secures draw

Villarreal 1 - 1 Arsenal

Emmanuel Adebayor netted a crucial away goal as Arsenal came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Villarreal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at El Madrigal.
The Togo striker made it three in two games, and five in this European campaign, with a stunning scissor-kick after 66 minutes to cancel out an equally impressive opener from home captain Marcos Senna.

Arsene Wenger's side lost both goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and centre-back William Gallas to injury during the first half, but rallied to secure what could prove to be a decisive result to defend at Emirates Stadium next Wednesday night.

The last time Arsenal played at the intimidating Spanish ground was three seasons ago when a dramatic late penalty save from Jens Lehmann guided them through to the European Cup final.

While that journey ultimately ended in defeat to Barcelona, there is growing belief Rome in 2009 could just prove the coming of age for Wenger's young Gunners.

Villarreal have never lost at home in the Champions League and kept holders Manchester United to a goalless draw earlier this season.

So it was no surprise the hosts settled quickly.

There was a goal-mouth scramble following a corner when Gael Clichy cleared off the line and Almunia smothered the loose ball as defender Gonzalo Rodriguez looked to capitalise.

Villarreal then took the lead in stunning fashion after 10 minutes.

The ball was worked down the right before being passed inside to Senna. The skipper took aim and drilled a wonderful 25-yard strike past Almunia into the top corner, setting El Madrigal alight.

Arsenal looked to respond immediately and forced a couple of corners.

A smart turn and run by Theo Walcott fed Cesc Fabregas, who slipped Samir Nasri, replacing the cup-tied Andrey Arshavin, in on the left side of the area.

The Frenchman's angled drive was pushed around the post by Diego Lopez.

Arsenal were forced into a change after 27 minutes when Almunia, who sustained an ankle injury in the early goal-line scramble, was replaced by Lukasz Fabianski.

The young Pole was immediately called into action, first saving low to his left from Senna and then producing a good reaction block at the near post to deny Joan Capdevila.

The visitors had some good spells of neat passing but were unable to make the best of promising positions.

After 38 minutes, Villarreal were awarded a free-kick when Alex Song tripped Giuseppe Rossi, once a Manchester United player, just outside the penalty area, the Arsenal midfielder booked.

Gallas was then clattered by the falling striker and had to be carried off on a stretcher for treatment, eventually being replaced by Johan Djourou.

Ariel Ibagaza struck the free-kick off the bottom of the wall.

Cani then shot wide as the Spaniards pressed for a second.

In stoppage time, Arsenal were awarded a free-kick in a central position after Adebayor went down in between two defenders.

Fabregas took his shot early, rolling the ball into the net, but the quick effort was ruled out by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo and the Arsenal captain was shown a yellow card.

Kolo Toure's strike was then blocked by the wall.

As the hour mark approached, it was continuing to be a night of frustration for the Barclays Premier League side, who had been on a decent run of form heading into the game.

Walcott floated a ball in from the right, which Adebayor glanced wide.

Then, out of nothing, the big striker struck a superb equaliser to stun the home crowd in the 66th minute.

There seemed little danger when Fabregas, who set up both Adebayor's goals against Manchester City on Saturday, lofted a high ball into the Villarreal penalty area.

Even though surrounded by three markers and with his back to goal, Adebayor collected the ball on his chest before dispatching a brilliant scissor-kick into the far corner.

Nasri drilled wide as Arsenal went looking for a second.

Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires was introduced, to a warm reception from the travelling fans, for the final 21 minutes, replacing Joseba Llorente.

Walcott blazed over after being played in on the right of the penalty area by Fabregas, before he was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue.

There was still some defending to do for the Gunners as Rossi looked to get on the end of a near-post cross before Senna almost netted another 25-yard effort.

But Arsenal remained strong under intense late pressure to give themselves every chance in the second leg.

Champion's League: Gunners hold their nerve

AS Roma 1 - 0 Arsenal

Arsenal squeezed into the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a dramatic 7-6 penalty shoot-out win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico after losing 1-0 on the night, drawing 1-1 on aggregate.
Brazilian defender Juan capitalised on some poor defending to fire the Italians in front and level the tie after just 10 minutes.

The Gunners grew in stature as the match went on, but could not find a way through as extra-time passed - with Roma's Max Tonetto missing a crucial sudden-death spot-kick.

Roma had started the better, and it was no surprise when they took the lead.

Arsenal failed to clear their lines, as Francesco Totti swept a low cross into the penalty area, which was completely missed by both William Gallas and Kolo Toure and went through the legs of Rodrigo Taddei.

The ball rolled all the way to Juan at the far post, and the Brazilian defender thumped his shot past Manuel Almunia.

The goal for the home side lifted the already electric atmosphere inside the Stadio Olimpico, which will host the Champions League final in May.

It also opened the match up as the Gunners - unbeaten in 17 games before this game - now had to score to progress in normal time.

After 20 minutes, Abou Diaby found himself in a good position at the far post following a corner - but could not direct the ball with enough power to test Roma keeper Doni.

At the other end, Almunia was called into action twice in quick succession.

First the Spaniard denied Marco Motta with a strong block at the near post before tipping the follow-up strike from Taddei behind at full stretch.

Arsenal were on the back foot now, as the home fans cranked up the volume in a sustained spell of pressure.

Ten minutes before the break Gael Clichy got away down the left, and floated over a cross into the area.

Diaby arrived to meet it on the penalty spot, but his header was straight at Doni.

In the final moments of the first half, Roma were screaming for a penalty when Motta charged into the right side of the Arsenal box and went down under the challenge of Clichy.

The referee, though, was unimpressed - much to the disgust of the home fans with television replays suggesting they had a strong case.

The Italians started the second half brightly and substitute Julio Baptista - who had a loan spell with Arsenal - came close to connecting with a right-wing cross as he arrived a pace in the six-yard box.

In a rare moment of action at the other end, Bacary Sagna almost squeezed a near-post header in from a corner, but Doni was well positioned.

Arsenal, though, slowly built some pressure.

Emmanuel Eboue's cross was just too far ahead of Nicklas Bendtner in the centre, with the Dane doing well to force a corner.

Roma were still a threat, though, as Totti drove the ball at Almunia with pace from 20 yards.

Diaby controlled the ball on the edge of the area following a corner, and was unfortunate to see his shot drift wide.

Wenger turned to Theo Walcott with 17 minutes left, as the England winger replaced Eboue.

In a huge let-off for the Barclays Premier League club, Baptista somehow managed to miss his kick with the goal there for the taking as the ball came across into the six-yard box.

Eduardo came on for Bendtner with five minutes left. Toure headed over from close range in the dying moments - but there was no way through as the tie went to extra-time.

There were some tired legs now, and Arsenal looked to exploit the space on the counter-attack.

After 103 minutes, Robin van Persie volleyed over after being teed up by Denilson in the six-yard box.

Walcott's angled drive, after 111 minutes, was straight at Doni.

The home crowd were screaming for a penalty when Baptista went down between Gallas and Toure, but again the referee was unmoved.

The match would, though, ultimately be decided from the spot in the lottery of a shoot-out.

Eduardo saw his opening effort saved by Doni, but Mirko Vucinic stabbed his straight at Almunia three kicks later.

Walcott, Baptista, Nasri and Denilson all scored, before Totti stepped up to send the shoot-out into sudden death at 4-4.

Toure coolly dispatched his effort, as did Sagna and then John Arne Riise for Roma.

With the tally at 6-6, Diaby slotted home before the pressure got to Tonetto as he blazed the ball over and the Gunners were into the quarter-finals.

Champion's League: Barca stirkers turn on the style to reach quarters

Barcelona 5 - 2 Lyon

A quickfire Thierry Henry double spurred Barcelona on to a 5-2 rout of Olympique Lyon and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The Primera Liga leaders, who won 6-3 on aggregate, overwhelmed the French champions to take a 4-0 lead inside 43 minutes with further goals from Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o.
The euphoria inside a packed Nou Camp was tempered, however, when Lyon scored either side of halftime through Jean Makoun and Juninho to give themselves a ray of hope.
But their chances of progressing had all but disappeared by the time substitute Seydou Keita went clear in added time to score past Hugo Lloris and round off a superb Barca performance.
Coach Pep Guardiola said it had been one of the best of the season. "We had a little fright when they scored their second but we managed to plug the gaps," he said at a news conference.
The Catalans showed few ill-effects from a recent poor run of form and dominated the opening stages. Midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta orchestrated some trademark, slick passing moves and both Eto'o and Iniesta had good early chances.
Lyon had to wait for almost 20 minutes for their first scoring opportunity when Karim Benzema broke clear on the left but Ederson was unable to convert the striker's low cross.
Barca's breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Rafael Marquez chipped a pass to send Henry clear down the middle and the France international, scorer of the goal in the 1-1 draw in the first leg, finished with ease.
Xavi was the provider for Henry's second two minutes later, releasing him on the left of the penalty area to send a powerful shot inside the bottom corner.
Messi's goal on 40 minutes was typical of the Argentine international. After cutting in from the right and leaving several Lyon players in his wake he exchanged passes with Eto'o and slotted calmly past Lloris.
Henry turned provider three minutes later when he released Eto'o in the centre and the Cameroon international powered the ball into the top right corner to make it 5-1 on aggregate.
Barca were temporarily rocked back when Makoun rose to nod in Juninho's corner on 44 minutes and Benzema cleverly let Cesar Delgado's cross run on for Juninho to make it 4-2 on the night just after the break.
Juninho was shown a second yellow card in added time after having words with Brazilian compatriot Daniel Alves lying prone on the ground after a clash with Fabio Grosso and Keita's goal five minutes into stoppage time was the final action of a high-quality match.
Lyon coach Claude Puel paid tribute to Barca's ability to maintain possession and starve his side of room.
"I think you just have to praise this Barcelona team," he told a news conference. "They showed they were superior tonight in all areas and we just have to accept that."

Champion's League: Gunners spurn chances

Arsenal 1 - 0 AS Roma

Arsenal gave themselves a slender 1-0 advantage to take to Rome after a first-half penalty from Robin van Persie in their Champions League clash at Emirates Stadium.
However, the misfiring Gunners should have put the tie beyond the hosts - with Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue both spurning golden chances as Arsenal's recent trend of poor finishing continued.

The Eternal City will host this year's Champions League final in May, and the massed ranks of visiting supporters had clearly travelled in genuine hope rather than just expectation after seeing their side qualify for the knockout stages ahead of Chelsea at the top of the group.

Arsenal had drawn blanks in each of their last three Barclays Premier League games, as manager Arsene Wenger was left to reflect on his team's inability to breakdown determined defences.

The encounter looked set to be a more open affair, with Roma all too aware of the importance an away goal would bring to the tie, and so it proved.

Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri was handed a roaming role, and broke the offside trap to dash into the right side of the penalty area.

He pulled the ball back for Bendtner, on the penalty spot, but it was just a yard behind him and the Dane's first touch was heavy, allowing the defenders to recover and block.

Then full-back Gael Clichy picked out Nasri with a deep cross from the left - but his glancing header flew wide.

There was a warning for Arsenal when Marco Motta let fly from 25 yards with an angled drive, which was heading towards the top right corner before Manuel Almunia tipped it behind.

Roma defender Simone Loria then somehow managed to stab the ball over when he was picked out in the six-yard box by a quick free-kick.

Despite all of their possession, Arsenal were again unable to convert it into a goal.

However, the Gunners were awarded a penalty on 37 minutes when Van Persie got into the left side of the area, and was tripped by Philippe Mexes.

The Dutchman stepped up to take the spot-kick himself - and coolly dispatched his 15th goal of the season into the bottom right corner.

Van Persie was in the thick of the action again when he dashed towards the goalline and pulled the ball back, but Bendtner was crowded out at the near post.

Daniele De Rossi was somewhat fortunate to only get a yellow card following a two-footed lunge on Nasri, who went sprawling into the far touchline. The defender will, nevertheless, now miss the second leg.

The second half opened in farcical fashion as Roma kicked off when Arsenal only had nine men on the field.

William Gallas and Kolo Toure eventually dashed from out of the tunnel, with the Ivory Coast defender running straight on to the pitch - and was promptly booked by Danish referee Claus Bo Larsen for entering the field of play without permission.

Bendtner should have made it 2-0 on 53 minutes.

Eboue dashed forward and into the right side of the box, before squaring for Van Persie.

The Dutchman was hustled off the ball, which broke to Bendtner on the left.

The young Dane took a touch to set himself in the six-yard box - before then blazing his shot high over the bar.

Arsenal continued to press forwards, with Diaby's shot on-the-turn from 18 yards forcing Alexander Doni into a smart save, down to the keeper's left.

A mix-up in the Roma defence when Loria slipped suddenly gifted Eboue a golden chance as he latched onto a loose ball at the edge of the area, However, the Ivory Coast midfielder went wide and skewed his shot the wrong side of the post, with the keeper beaten.

Wenger sent on Mexican winger Carlos Vela, replacing Bendtner, to inject some pace for the final 22 minutes.

Arsenal sat back, looking to protect their lead, but it looked a dangerous tactic.

Nasri's shot was deflected behind as Arsenal looked for a crucial second goal, but in the end had to be content with just the one to show for all their efforts.

Champion's League: Barca youngsters undone

Barcelona's Champions League Group C campaign ended in defeat as Pep Guardiola's inexperienced side were punished by Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Catalans snatched a late victory in Ukraine earlier in the campaign but Shakhtar managed to exact some revenge by exploiting a much-changed Barca team's inexperience tonight to end their impressive unbeaten home run.

Oleksandr Gladkyy scored either side of half-time to put his side 2-0 up at the Nou Camp before Sylvinho pulled one back. But when Fernandinho got a third, Sergio Busquets' 83rd-minute strike mattered little.

Guardiola rang the changes with his team already guaranteed top spot in Group C. Seydou Keita, Sylvinho and Alexander Hleb were the most experienced players in the hosts' line-up alongside several youngsters and the likes of Bojan Krkic, Busquets and Martin Caceres.

Among those players given a break were Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Xavi, Dani Alves and the hat-trick hero against Valencia, Thierry Henry, as Guardiola keeps one eye on next weekend's Primera Liga showdown against Real Madrid.

Mircea Lucescu's side had already been forced to settle for third place and a spot in the UEFA Cup after Christmas.

Despite their youth Barca dominated the early possession with Mali international Keita trying his luck twice without success.

In the ninth minute Bojan's effort from outside the effort failed to cause Shakhtar goalkeeper Andrei Pyatov any difficulties.

Willian had a go at the other end and won a corner when Gerard Pique deflected his shot high over the bar.

Another Barcelona half-chance saw winger Pedrito head straight at Pyatov from Sylvinho's cross before Hleb shot powerfully, forcing Pyatov to punch away.

Bojan had another go in the 21st minute when he created space and fired a powerful shot which Pyatov parried.

In the 31st minute Shakhtar hit back in style, however, as Barca switched off and paid the price. Razvan Rat worked the ball to Willian from the left and the Brazilian did well to find Gladkyy, who put the ball beyond Albert Jorquera to hand his side the lead.

Barca dominated proceedings early in the second half just as they had in the first.

The lively Pedrito tested Pyatov twice with teasing corners after Victor Vazquez had forced a save with a long-range shot.

But it was 2-0 in the 58th minute when Shakhtar again stunned their opponents. Barca keeper Jorquera was completely caught out by Jadson's free-kick as Gladkyy seized the opportunity he was gifted to head home.

Barca finally came to life a minute later, however, as Sylvinho made a trademark push forward and exchanged a one-two with Keita before slotting home.

Shakhtar hit Barca on the break for a third time in the 75th minute, Rat again involved as he bombed forward before squaring the ball for Fernandinho to score.

Again Barca showed some life by pulling a goal back. Eidur Gudjohnsen, on as a substitute, chipped a delightful ball into the area for young midfielder Busquets to bury and at least restore some dignity to the scoreline.

Champion's League: Five-star victory for Barca

Sporting Lisbon 2 - 5 Barcelona

Barcelona sealed top spot in Group C of the Champions league courtesy of a night of high farce among the Sporting Lisbon defence.
Barcelona were 3-0 up within 50 minutes courtesy of goals from Thierry Henry, Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi, before Sporting pulled two back in two minutes through Miguel Veloso and Liedson.
Barca responded immediately with a Marco Caneira own goal and once Rui Patricio was sent off for the foul that led to Bojan Krkic's penalty, the Sporting defence had played their part in all five of Barca's goals.
The onslaught began in the eighth minute as Xavi's curling free-kick from 20 yards beat Patricio but struck the top of the crossbar.
Barca took the lead in the 14th minute, when Henry played in Messi down the right.
The Argentina forward shrugged off a weak challenge from Daniel Carrico before pulling back for the France striker, who finished with ease.
A miserable defensive night for Sporting continued three minutes later as they allowed Barca in for an inelegant second.
Xavi's cross from the left struck the back of Eidur Gudjohnsen at the far post and found its way back into the danger zone, where Pique just about got the final touch to turn the ball into the back of the net.
Sporting's Brazilian defender Anderson Polga was equally as responsible as Pique, but the former Manchester United man was credited with the goal.
At the other end Polga found himself unmarked in the Barca box, but the whistle went, somewhat harshly, for offside.
But in the main the first half fizzled out with Barca content to sit on their two-goal lead.
The third came five minutes after the break in controversial circumstances, with Polga again involved.
The Brazilian handled just outside the box and Alves took the free-kick quickly, much to the chagrin of the of the Sporting players, slipping Messi through to score.
The match then see-sawed in a wild 10-minute period which saw four goals and a red card.
Veloso grabbed one back for Sporting in the 65th minute, though he should never have had the opportunity.
Rafael Marquez was adjudged, wrongly, to have handled 20 yards from goal and was booked, while Veloso thundered the set piece into the net.
And the deficit was reduced to one a minute later as Marquez could only flick on a hopeful Sporting long ball and Liedson finished well.
But Barca were restored to a position of comfort a minute later when Caneira, under pressure from Sergio Busquets, lifted the ball over his own keeper and into the net via the bar.
And things got worse for Sporting after 73 minutes as another defensive calamity led to Patricio being sent off.
Leandro Grimi inadvertently nodded the ball into the path of Bojan and Patricio, despite getting a touch on the ball, hauled down the youngster inside the area and duly saw red - Sporting's fifth dismissal in six matches.
Bojan converted the spot-kick, though substitute goalkeeper Tiago got his fingertips to the ball.
It was an ignominious night for Sporting, though they could console themselves with the knowledge they had already secured their place in the knockout stages.

Champion's League: Bendtner late show

Arsenal 1 - 0 Dynamo Kiev

Cesc Fabregas' reign as Arsenal captain began with a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev at Emirates Stadium tonight which guided his Gunners into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has pledged to take the club "as far as it can go" after being handed the armband to succeed deposed William Gallas, stripped of the role following a public outburst criticising the squad's fighting spirit.
And while tonight's display may not have been vintage Arsenal - victory eventually secured by a late strike from substitute Nicklas Bendtner from a quickly-taken long free-kick by Fabregas - the end result was all which mattered as Arsene Wenger's men go into Sunday's crucial Barclays Premier League showdown against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with renewed belief following one of the most testing spells of the past decade.
Gallas, meanwhile, will have restored some of the burned bridges with an assured display at the back which on another night could well have been capped with a goal.
It was a bright start by the young Gunners, whose bench had an average age of just 19 such were the current injury problems for Wenger with some nine players unavailable.
Mexican Carlos Vela and Aaron Ramsey combined down the right to set up the attack-minded Welshman for a near-post effort which was turned behind by the goalkeeper.
After 17 minutes, Robin van Persie sent over a teasing free-kick which looked to be dropping for Gallas in the six-yard box, only for Stanislav Bogush to make a timely punch clear.
The Dutch forward continued to press high on the Kiev back line, as did the busy Vela, yet without any real impact in the final third.
At the other end, some good link-up play from the visitors found Olexandr Aliyev in space, and his shot on the turn was held by Manuel Almunia.
Arsenal then created another opening when Vela's low ball across the six-yard box was missed by the defence and fell to Ramsey at the far post, but his snap shot under pressure flew high into the stands.
A slip by Gallas almost proved costly when he let Ismael Bagoura in down the left, but fortunately for the former captain, the Guinea striker's shot struck the upright.
With five minutes to go to half-time, Van Persie sent in another good delivery from a free-kick on the right which Mikael Silvestre poked over the bar in front of the keeper.
In stoppage time, Gallas flicked the ball into the net from a downward header after a corner, but celebrations were cut short by the assistant's flag for offside.
The defender was then in the thick of the action in front of goal again at the start of the second half, this time deflecting a shot from Van Persie clear when any sort of touch the other way would have steered the ball past the keeper.
Kiev, though, continued to look dangerous on the break and Bagoura saw his low shot flash across goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Vela was now the main outlet for Arsenal as the Mexican teenager continued to make progress down the left.
With 21 minutes left, Wenger replaced the hard-working Ramsey as big Danish striker Bendtner, sporting pink boots, was sent on to freshen up the attack.
However, it was the Ukrainians who continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock with a spell of sustained possession.
Wenger again looked to the future when 16-year-old Jack Wilshere was given another taste of first-team action with 14 minutes to go, replacing Vela, to become Arsenal's youngest European debutant.
A stunning reaction save from Almunia kept Arsenal in it when he raced out to block Artem Milevskiy's snap shot at the far post.
Van Persie drilled a low centre across the six-yard box which was just too far ahead of Bendtner.
The Dane, though, arrived on cue with just three minutes left to latch onto a quickly-taken, long free-kick from Fabregas to hold off the defender and fire Arsenal into the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition.
Kiev's frustration was compounded when Aliyev was show a second yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct after appearing to barge into referee Alain Hamer at a free-kick.

Champion's League: Frustrated Gunners

Arsenal failed to lift the gloom surrounding the Emirates Stadium as wasteful finishing ensured they were held to a frustrating stalemate by Fenerbahce.

The Gunners, derided for their lack of courage after last weekend's calamitous defeat by Stoke, barely needed a strong constitution as they toyed with the Turks' defence in a one-sided first half.

But yet again their accuracy in front of goal lacked the precision of their approach play with Robin van Persie the most wasteful.

Van Persie, banned from the next three Barclays Premier League games after being sent off against Stoke, could have put them out of sight at half-time on his own.

Impressive Fenerbahce goalkeeper Volkan Demirel played a crucial role in keeping Arsenal at bay but his heroics will be of scant consolation to Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

Wenger yesterday bristled at claims his side lacked bravery against physical teams and he craved a similar response to that seen after the domestic upsets by Fulham and Hull earlier this season.

Following those defeats Arsenal put Twente and Porto to the sword but there was to be no morale-boosting European rout tonight as they endured another setback.

The defeat by Stoke and the draw with Tottenham have caused the Gunners to lose ground in the Barclays Premier League title race and they host Manchester United on Saturday on the back of a three-match winless streak.

Wenger sprung a couple of surprises by naming Lukasz Fabianski in goal and Aaron Ramsey at right midfield, while Johan Djourou was selected ahead of Alexandre Song at centre-back.

Fenerbahce picked Roberto Carlos at left-back and the Brazilian endured a nervy start that almost set up the opener for Van Persie.

The former Real Madrid star's tame clearance landed straight at the feet of Ramsey who played a square ball to the unmarked Cesc Fabregas.

The Spaniard lofted a sweet pass into the box and Van Persie timed his run to perfection only to see his prodded shot slip inches wide of the right post.

Ramsey, making his first start in the group stage of the Champions League, was showing no sign of nerves as he eased into the box only to find the arms of Volkan.

Samir Nasri - another summer arrival at the Emirates Stadium - showed less composure as he flailed at a deflected cross by Van Persie.

It was then the Dutchman who let another chance go begging, drilling the ball into the ground and over the crossbar after Volkan got fingertips to a Fabregas lob.

Arsenal showed far greater invention in attack but still had nothing to show for their obvious superiority. Kolo Toure, playing at right-back, created space for Van Persie who brilliantly turned Diego Lugano inside-out before seeing his shot from point-blank range pushed onto the crossbar by Volkan.

Nasri drew a good save from the Turkey goalkeeper as the first half remained goalless.

A swift counter-attack by Fenerbahce shortly after the interval saw Fabianski come to the rescue by nudging Ugur Boral's low strike wide of the right post.

The ineffective Nicklas Bendtner and impressive Ramsey were replaced by Carlos Vela and Abou Diaby with half an hour to go and they watched as Van Persie nodded a superb opportunity over the crossbar.

Chances were arriving less frequently as Arsenal began to run out of ideas, their play frustrated by a Fenerbahce rearguard that knew it had successfully dealt with their opponents' best efforts.

Defender Mikael Silvestre went off clutching his nose with five minutes to go and the Gunners failed to mount another meaningful attack.

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Champion's League: Misfiring Barca go through

BARCELONA, November 4 (Champions League) - Basle substitute Eren Derdiyok struck seven minutes from time as Barcelona forfeited their 100% record in this season's Champions League, although the point was enough to book their place in the knockout stages.

The hosts had been expected to coast past their Swiss visitors after recording a 5-0 triumph in Basle a fortnight ago.

But that was not the case as they endured a frustrating night in front of goal until Lionel Messi stepped off the bench to score his fourth of the campaign after 61 minutes.

That had looked to be enough to clinch a fourth win in as many games for Pep Guardiola's side, but they were punished for their lack of cutting edge when Derdiyok fired a shot in at the near post.

Guardiola made five changes from the team that beat Malaga 4-1 at the weekend with big names Messi, Xavi, Samuel Eto'o, Yaya Toure and Daniel Alves dropping out of the starting XI. In their place Thierry Henry, Alexander Hleb, Bojan, Victor Sanchez and Sylvinho earned call-ups.

Henry endured a frustrating opening half as he failed to find the net despite a host of chances.

The France striker wasted the first of his opportunities in just the fourth minute when, after being sent free in the area, he ominously opened his shoulders only to shoot wide of the far post.

Basle could have taken an unlikely lead after 19 minutes but for the quick reactions of Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdez.

A Marko Perovic corner to the top of the six-yard box caused consternation in the home defence, with the ball finally breaking for Marco Streller whose poked shot was smothered by Valdez at the back post.

Barcelona almost hit back immediately with a flowing move again playing Henry through on goal only for Franco Costanzo to some out and make a block on the edge of the six-yard box.

Costanzo did even better after 37 minutes to again deny Henry, who rose highest to meet a Bojan free-kick, which he glanced on target only to see the Basle stopper make a splendid diving save to his right.

Costanzo was enjoying an impressive evening between the posts and made further saves from Bojan and Gerard Pique before the break.

Henry's frustrations continued after the break with the striker heading wide when unmarked, although he was flagged for offside.

Guardiola responded by introducing Messi and Xavi on the hour mark, with Bojan and Victor Sanchez making way.

It took Messi just two minutes to find the net following a neat one-two with Henry at the edge of the area, which allowed the Argentina international enough time to compose himself and pass the ball past the despairing Costanzo.

The home side then pushed forward in search of the second goal that would have made the game safe with Pique rattling the crossbar from close range with a header.

They were made to pay for not finding that goal when, after 83 minutes, Derdiyok crashed home a shot at the near post from Carlitos' right-wing cross.

Barcelona had a chance deep in injury time when Xavi lined up a 25-yard free-kick but he sent his shot wide.

Toure joins Gunners backline absences

Arsenal have mounting defensive worries ahead of their Champions League Group G tie against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Tuesday.

Centre-back Kolo Toure has been ruled out after twisting shoulder ligaments in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Everton.

Captain William Gallas (hamstring) and Bacary Sagna (knee) are carrying injuries sustained on international duty last week and are also unavailable after missing the match against the Toffees.

However, midfielder Samir Nasir has shaken off a knock picked up against the Merseysiders and Nicklas Bendtner (ankle) and Johan Djourou (head) both return after being absent at the weekend.

Gunners hail last-gasp Gallas

Arsenal captain William Gallas bundled in a late equaliser to rescue a point from the Gunners' opening Champions League Group G game against Dynamo Kiev in the Ukraine.

Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie, twice, and Cesc Fabregas all had good first-half chances for the Barclays Premier League club, who have still yet to win a European tie in the former Soviet Union.
Kiev looked to have made them pay a heavy price when, on 64 minutes, Bacary Sagna was adjudged to have pushed over Ognjen Vukojevic and Ismael Bangoura scored from the penalty spot.
Then, just as time looked to be running out, Gallas - who had made a mistake in the build-up to the goal - netted at close range following a low cross by Theo Walcott.
Arsenal had been beaten twice by Dynamo, in 1998 and 2003, and also went down 3-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2000, while their record in Russia was also poor, with two defeats from three visits.

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