BIG FALL FOR BARCA
Mighty Juventus wreck hapless Barcelona 3-0 to reach Champions League semifinals
Barcelona, April 20: A distraught Neymar left the field in tears as Juventus held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to reach the Champions League semifinals 3-0 on aggregate.
Barca had overcome a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 with a dramatic 6-1 win back on home soil.
But Juventus showed why they boast the best defensive record in the competition as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were blunted as the Italians gained revenge for their defeat in the 2015 Champions League final.
“To not concede a goal in two games against Barcelona says a lot about the tactical level of the team,” said Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri.
“They had more chances in Turin than they did tonight. The team defended very solidly tonight.”
Juventus join holders Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Monaco in Friday’s semi-final draw.
“We tried with all our might, but we couldn’t find the route to goal,” said Barca coach Luis Enrique.
“We played a very poor first half in Turin and that has cost us dearly. I will remember what happened in the first half there.”
Straight from kick-off the visitors seemed determined to learn from the French champions’ mistakes.
Allegri’s men pressed high to prevent Barca dominating possession and enjoyed the better of the early chances.
Gonzalo Higuain volleyed over from the edge of the area before only a brilliant challenge from Gerard Pique prevented Juan Cuadrado’s cross providing Higuain with a tap in.
Barca had to wait 19 minutes for their first clear sight of goal as they intricately worked the ball around a packed Juventus box before Messi fired inches wide.
Messi then stung Gianluigi Buffon’s palms for the first time on the half-hour mark.
“Overall they were the better team and deserved to go through,” Pique told BeIN Sports Spain.
“Little-by-little we started to create chances, but they built a mountain.” MBAPPE HELPS FIRE MONACO TO SEMIS Teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe scored again to set Monaco on their way to a 3-1 second-leg victory over Borussia Dortmund that allowed them to win their quarter-final 6-3 on aggregate.
Radamel Falcao also netted for the home side in a whirlwind start at the Stade Louis II, and Dortmund were left with too much to do to save the tie.
Their skipper Marco Reus pulled a goal back early in the second half but Valere Germain came off the bench to put the seal on a famous win for a brilliant young Monaco side, who go through to the last four for the first time since 2004.
The Germans lost that match 3-2, their minds elsewhere, but their hopes of turning the tie around in the second leg were not helped when their bus was held up on the way to the Stade Louis II, leading to a five-minute delay to the kick-off.
Uefa blamed “heavy traffic” for the hold-up but, on their official Twitter account, Dortmund said they had been delayed in leaving their hotel by police for around 20 minutes “without justification”.