As most football predictions suggest prior to the game, Barcelona defeated Arsenal 3-1 at the Nou Camp in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Once again it was the Blaugrana’s formidable front three of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi that did the damage.
The three South Americans have turned Barcelona into an unstoppable scoring machine and it is hard to see any team stopping the Catalan giants from retaining their European crown this season.
Ironically Messi had enjoyed a rare off-night until his 88th minute goal, taken the usual Messi panache. The problem for opponents is that if you stop Messi, the other two are likely to have more space to operate.
The trio are a joy to watch, as long as it’s not your team that is on the end of their brilliance. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger described the way that the Barcelona front three as ‘art’.
The veteran Frenchman has a point. At times it’s hard to describe the sheer entertainment the trio provides the team’s supporters. Most teams would love to have a forward of one of Barcelona’s and Blaugrana fans are lucky enough to have three fantastic players in their team.
For Arsenal there was not much they could have done to stop the South American trio. The Gunners have suffered a sixth straight exit at the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
When Wenger’s team were drawn against the Catalan giants it was always going to be an uphill struggle and a 5-1 aggregate defeat illustrated the gulf in class between the two teams.