Messi rested as Juve stalemate secures Catalans last-16 berth
TURIN, Italy — Without Lionel Messi for almost an hour on Wednesday, Barcelona managed to get the draw it needed to reach the Champions League knockout stages.
But it was a drab 0-0 draw at Juventus, despite Paulo Dybala’s best efforts to spark some life into the home side.
Messi was rested for the first half before coming on for Gerard Deulofeu in the 56th minute. He came close to converting a couple of freekicks, but Barca barely troubled Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
The point was enough for Barcelona to secure top spot in Group D. Juventus remains second in the group but is only a point above Sporting Lisbon, which beat Olympiakos 3-1.
Juventus, which reached the final in two of the past three seasons, visits Greek side Olympiakos in the last round, while Sporting travels to Barcelona.
“Leaving Messi out was difficult but he has played a lot this season and has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders,” said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.
“Today we saw a long and tough contest so we thought a rest would do him good.
“We knew the game could open up in the second half, so I wanted to both let him rest and have an option to shake things up.”
Ivan Rakitic narrowly missed for Barcelona on a first-half freekick that rattled