Posted by Mehdi

17 February 2011

ROMA 2 (Perrotta 28, Menez 61)
SHAKHTAR DONETSK 3 (Jadson 29, Douglas Costa 36, Luiz Adriano 41)

Shakhtar failed to clear their lines from a Roma corner, De Rossi recycled the ball, touched it back to Rodrigo 'Kevin Bacon' Taddei, Pyatov overshot the flight of the ball and Perrotta headed in at the back post. Immediately after the restart Shakhtar equalised. Burdisso half cleared a cross, Jadson took aim and his shot clipped off De Rossi's heals wrong footing Doni in the Roma goal. Douglas Costa appeared to score a fantastic second but his shot also took a deflection off a Roma player, this time the ever hapless Burdisso. Roma are a different proposition when Juan starts. In trying to control a weak pass into the Roma half before presumably booting the ball clear, Riise fell on his ginger arse. Douglas Costa collected the ball and centred for Luiz Adriano to tap in Shakhtar's third. Perrotta headed on a longball and a great first touch took Menez away from Mkhitaryan, he held off Jadson as he drifted infield then from the edge of the box curled the ball into the top right corner. Wonderful goal but given Shakhtar's imperious home record, Roma are fucked.

Attendance : 39,876
Assists : Taddei, n/a, n/a, Douglas Costa, Perrotta


ARSENAL 2 (Van Persie 78, Arshavin 83)
BARCELONA 1 (Villa 26)

Messi ran at the Arsenal defence and poked a ball through for Villa who pulled clear of a not so square back four before tapping into the corner. Messi resisted a Song challenge in midfield and  made the most of a lucky break off Koscielny and continued menacingly towards the Arsenal box, he slipped in Pedro with another brilliant pass but Szczesny (265 points in scrabble) was quick off his line and made a brilliant tackle and Messi's follow-up was disallowed for offside. The game then settled into a tedious pattern of largely pointless Barcelona passing, with Arsenal wasteful on the break. That is until the 78th minute. Clichy chipped a great pass over Pique's head, Van Persie ran clear and from an angle wide left of goal half volleyed the ball into the bottom right corner. Fantastic finish. Five minutes later Arshavin made the impossible possible on a counter. Fabregas angled a through ball between two Barca defenders to Nasri who raced away as they appealed for offside, Nasri put on the breaks and checked inside Keita before waiting for Arshavin to arrive and he rolled the ball towards the beleaguered Russian who curled first time past Valdez.

If Arsenal defend as well as they did today and providing everyone is fit there's no reason they can't get a result in Barcelona.

Attendance : 59,927
Assists : Messi, Clichy, Nasri