On a night when the men in the middle gained too much attention again, Barcelona put Arsenal to the sword while in the Ukraine while Shakhtar convincingly handled Roma to send the Italians packing.
Both winners progress to the final eight of the Champions League, and both matches were checkered by poor officiating. In a season filled with so many controversies involving officials, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the very fabric of the sport is being damaged by its own referees.
The Champions League round of 16 rolls on tomorrow as Tottenham host AC Milan and Schalke entertain Valencia.
Barcelona were in full flight at Nou Camp, dominating every aspect of the game against their beleaguered English visitors. Lionel Messi scored twice to lead the Catalans into the quarterfinals, cementing a 3-1 win that ousted the Gunners 4-3 on aggregate. It was a master class that reinforced the idea that Barcelona are the consensus world’s best, with the home side playing the patient, deadly possession game few opponents have solved.
What should be remembered as an incontestable performance will be instead be remembered for the inexplicable sending-off of Robin van Persie (two yellows) apparently for time-wasting. Swiss ref Massimo Busacca had blown the whistle for offside, but the striker - understandable in a stadium packed with 95,000 people - didn’t hear the whistle sound. He fired the ball at the goal and Busacca sent him to the stands, forcing Arsenal to play a man down for over half an hour.
It’s hard not to argue that - despite Barcelona's excellence - the referee’s decision changed the game.
At the time, Arsenal were tied 1-1, and ahead on aggregate 3-2. Following the sending off, Barcelona quickly got back on top, with Xavi scoring a brilliant individual goal started by Andres Iniesta, before Messi converted the winning penalty after Laurent Koscielny clumsily fouled Pedro in the area.
And yet, some of Arsenal’s woes were again self-inflicted. Van Persie was first carded for a retaliatory foul on Dani Alves in the first half; Cesc Fabregas’ schoolboy error gifted Messi the opening goal in first-half stoppage time; Nicolas Bendtner had a chance to win the tie and blew his chance badly; and Arsenal never took a shot on goal. Barcelona actually scored all four goals, Sergio Busquets handing the Gunners a second-half lifeline when he inadvertently headed home Samir Nasri’s corner.
This was not the capitulation seen last season when these two teams met at this stage. Despite losing 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 18th minute due to what may be a ruptured tendon, Arsenal battled on. The oft-maligned Manuel Almunia was superb in his deputy role and while Arsenal were forced to defend for the entire match as expected, they showed far more steel and mental toughness.
But, all that said, it is the second time in short order that Arsenal have failed to win a must-win match. Against Birmingham in the Carling Cup final, the Gunners threw the game away. Against a much better Barcelona side, Arsenal may feel they had the game stolen from their grasp.
Roma went to the Ukraine needing something of a miracle to get back into a tie they threw away in the first leg. Instead they self-destructed with a first half performance that sums up their season, losing 3-0 (6-2 on aggregate.)
First, Roma conceded a very soft goal, Tomas Hubschman back-heeling an innocuous cross from Willian that seemed to freeze the Roma defense and tranquilize goalkeeper Doni.
Then, Marco Borriello missed a penalty 10 minutes later, putting his spot kick too close to Andriy Pyatov, who dived to his left to preserve his team's early lead and commanding aggregate position.
The final piece of self-destruction came with four minutes remaining in the first half when Phillipe Mexes collected a second yellow card and got his marching orders from referee Howard Webb.
Webb got that right, first cautioning the French defender for a clip from behind that dereailed Willian, then showing yellow again when Mexes arm-tackled Luiz Adriano to earn his early bath.
Minutes later, however, Webb missed a Daniele DeRossi elbow on Darijo Srna that appeared to have been directly in not only his line of sight, but his assistant's as well. To compound that error, the Englishman who had a nightmare in the World Cup final, carded Srna for simulation.
All of that should not take anything away from the winners who deservedly took their place in the quarterfinal draw. They effectively won the tie in the first leg with those three goals in Rome, but they did have to survive an early burst from the visitors before their 18th-minute goal gave them control of the night.
As in the first leg, the Ukrainians were always willing to run at the Italians, especially down the flanks, and from the start tonight they were never going to be content merely to protect their advantage. Even before Roma was reduced to 10 men, Shakhtar was winning the midfield battle. Srna was a constant force down the right side while the work of Razvan Rat at both ends of the pitch was always noticeable.
The second goal, when Willian was left completely unmarked in the box to receive a long Srna corner, killed off the match in the 58th minute. Eduardo's third in the 87th minute merely made the final score reflect the difference between the sides over the two legs.
Srna was the man of the match, drawing fouls when he wasn't dissecting the Roma defense. Willian was also dangerous on the other side, while Roma's attack too often looked completely devoid of ideas. Pyatov's penalty save seemed to rip the heart out of the Roman ambitions. Roma's second half attack was disjointed, sometimes amateurish in its lack of precision and finish.
Shakhtar, in stark contrast, looks very much like a side nobody will want to see in the quarterfinals.
Jamie Trecker is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the UEFA Champions League and the Barclay's Premier League.
