Barcelona advance with bore draw

Lionel Messi started on the bench as Barcelona secured their passage into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 0-0 draw at Juventus. The Argentina playmaker was a surprise omission from the starting line-up in Turin.

But he still went close to breaking the deadlock with a free-kick shortly after coming on as a substitute.

Barca knew a point would be enough to see them through and rarely threatened to end Juve’s 25-match unbeaten home run in Europe in a bore draw.

Luiz Suarez, who was anonymous in the first half for Bar- ca, had an opportunity early in the second with a free-kick which he curled narrowly over. That was the signal for Ernesto Valverde to send on Messi, with Gerard Deulofeu the man to make way.

When Suarez drew a foul on the edge of the area Messi was the man to line up the freekick, but once again it flew just over the crossbar. Paulo Dybala almost snatched a victory for Juve in stoppage time but Marc-andre Ter Stegen got down well to make a fine save.