BARCA AND MESSI ALSO CRASH OUT IN ROMAN SLAUGHTER
THE miracle comeback happened but it happened in Rome. Barcelona delivered their worst performance of the season and crashed out of the Champions League to Roma.
Former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko was one of the heroes. He got the first, won the penalty for the second and — when Kostas Manolas made it 4-4 on aggregate — his first-leg away goal at the Nou Camp became the deciding factor to send Roma through.
The striker, who turned down a move to Chelsea in January because he wanted to play in the last 16 and quarter-final of this competition, said: ‘Now I can play the semi-final too! It wasn’t an easy decision but I stayed and I’m very happy to be here. I think the club is glad too!’
Two of Roma’s goals came from players who put the ball past their own goalkeeper in the first leg. Daniele De Rossi slammed the second in from the spot and Manolas got the third.
‘It’s my most beautiful night in the red and yellow shirt,’ said De Rossi. ‘We believed we could do it because we saw that there was not so much between us and them in the first leg.’
Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta was asked if this was his last game in the Champions League and the midfielder, set to move to China in the summer, said: ‘Possibly, yes. And that makes it all the harder.’
For the opener, De Rossi’s lofted pass from deep midfield dropped into the path of Dzeko and with a couple of touches he put it past Marc Andre ter Stegen. The Catalans were stunned and they continued to look nervous at the back as Patrik Schick went close.
Barcelona were uncharacteristically lumping the ball forward to relieve pressure. They certainly weren’t turning Roma dizzy on their passing carousel, as Sir Alex Ferguson — present at the Stadio Olimpico last night — once described their finest football.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were left in Dzeko’s shadow and he had the a chance to extend the scoreline, but for a fine save from Ter Stegen. In the second half things got worse for Barcelona.
Gerard Pique wrestled Dzeko to the ground to concede one of the season’s clearest penalties. He was booked and De Rossi scored.
Federico Fazio was lucky not to be shown a second yellow card for chopping down Iniesta and Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was furious in his technical area.
But instead of bemoaning the decisions, he should have been keeping focus on his side who were sinking fast. Messi was cautioned for a trip on Aleksandar Kolarov to prevent another Roma attack and Suarez was booked for time wasting. The Italians finished stronger and when Alessandro Florenzi took a corner from the right with eight minutes left, Manolas got in ahead of Nelson Semedo to steer his header past Ter Stegen and dump Barcelona out.