Barca look Messi as top guns fail to fire
Klopp sees red in Liverpool draw: ‘I am not over the moon but I am completely okay’
On a scoreless night in Champions League football, not even Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez could find a way to get a goal. Barcelona’s attacking stars were held in check by Lyon yesterday in a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, leaving the French side’s hopes of causing a big upset alive.
Messi failed to add to his six goals in the competition, while Suarez had the goal gaping but sliced a shot wide with 20 minutes left.
When wasteful Barca did hit the target, Lyon’s goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was in fine form.
Containing the five-time champions in the return leg on March 13 may prove far harder for Lopes and his defence if Messi and Suarez are back to their best. However, coach Ernesto Valverde warned not to underestimate a Lyon side who won at English Premier League champion Manchester City and were unbeaten in the group stage.
“We are strong at home but there’s no denying that 0-0 away from home is a dangerous result,” Valverde said. “My feeling is that we played well, we were switched on. I think that we deserved a better result and did enough to win. It just wasn’t our night.”
Lyon coach Bruno Genesio acknowledged his side got off somewhat lightly.
“We gave them the ball back too quickly and that meant we were on the receiving end of wave after wave of attacks,” Genesio said. “We conceded too many opportunities for my liking in the second half.”
As usual, Messi was elusive to mark and often found good positions.
But he had a largely frustrating first half, failing to test Lopes with a free kick and two shots. When his trickery did work, notably with an excellent scooped pass over the defence in the 39th, the disappointing Ousmane Dembele fluffed his shot.
A tactical switch from Genesio saw Memphis Depay moved wide left, with Terrier through the middle and Dembele on the right.
It gave Lyon greater mobility but made it at risk from a swift Barcelona counterattack. On one of those, Suarez finally found some room to turn in the penalty area, but impressive defender Leo Dubois nipped in to block his shot.
After Messi had an angled drive comfortably parried by Lopes, Valverde brought on Philippe Coutinho for Dembele.
Barcelona’s players finished the match with a greater sense of urgency as they hunted a valuable away goal.
“The result is fine for us; we still have a chance to progress even if we know it will be tough,” Dubois said. “We have the ability to go far.”
In the other game, Liverpool and Bayern Munich drew 0-0 in a match between five-time champions.
Liverpool’s normally-rampant attack were also left frustrated.
Manager Jurgen Klopp said: “It is not the result or game we dreamed of. I am not over the moon but I am completely okay.
“This is the best draw you can get but, yes, we can play better, we should play better. It was a big fight.
“We had better chances in the first half and I cannot remember any chances in the second half for either side.
“But it is absolutely okay. The tie is not over. We have a base for the second leg.
“It is not a game you will remember in 20 years but that is the result and we will work with that.
“I am sure Bayern will feel better than we do. A 0-0 is not perfect but we can work with that.”