Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano criticized Arsenal for blaming the referee for the English club's Champions League exit.
Barcelona advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition 4-3 on aggregate after winning the second leg 3-1 Tuesday at the Camp Nou. Arsenal played for most of the second half with 10 men after Robin van Persie was given a second yellow card for playing on after being whistled offside in the 56th minute.
Van Persie, who claimed he didn't hear the whistle, called the red card ''a joke'' and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his team could have advanced if not for the Netherlands striker's sending off.
''Barca always wins thanks to the referee, never because of its play, not for having taken 19 shots on goal, not for having won 74 percent of the possession or completing 900 passes,'' Mascherano said Wednesday. ''Let's not be hypocrites. We didn't let them breathe and that was the key. We played Barca's way and that's why we advanced.''
Wenger and Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri have been charged by UEFA with improper conduct for their comments regarding referee Massimo Busacca.
Arsenal came into the match with a 2-1 lead from the first leg, but the Gunners didn't manage to get off a single shot on goal in the entire match. Arsenal's only score came from Sergio Busquets' own-goal.
Barcelona, conversely, launched attack after attack with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez playing an intricate passing game that has come to symbolize the Catalan club's style of play.
''When a team wins and plays well people want it to fail somehow, and this Barcelona is no exception. It happened to Spain at the World Cup, when Switzerland beat it in the first game everybody was very happy,'' Mascherano said. ''We don't care what other people say.''
Messi scored two goals, including one from the penalty spot, to take his tally to 45 for the season. He also moved ahead of Rivaldo as the club's all-time leading scorer in European competitions with 33 goals.
Messi's 71st-minute penalty - his competition-high eighth goal - clinched Barcelona's place in the quarterfinals but it was his first that added another memorable moment to his growing repertoire of achievements.
After gathering Iniesta's through pass in the area, Messi flicked the ball over onrushing goalkeeper Manuel Almunia before coolly knocking it home with a left-footed volley.
''It's hard to explain about Messi. What he is doing isn't normal but we're all starting to see it as something regular,'' Mascherano said of his Argentina teammate. ''He's making history and let's hope he continues to do so for many years for us and for everyone.''
