Barcelona were too strong for a battling Celtic side in the Camp Nou, emerging 1-0 victors on the night and 4-2 overall to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Xavi scored the goal in the third minute in a game in which Ronaldinho was inspirational for the home team who lost Lionel Messi to what seemed a serious injury in the first period.

The goal was brilliantly worked. Xavi began it in midfield, finding the feet of Ronaldinho, who looked inside while backheeling down the line of the penalty area for the onrushing Sylvinho.

The left-back's cross was met by the arriving Xavi, who diverted it over Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Celtic, who then needed to score three to prgoress, did not carry an attacking threat in the opening 45 minutes, even on the break. The closest they came was on the stroke of the half when Aiden McGeady reached the by-line to force Lilian Thuram into conceding a corner - and even then referee Pieter Vink awarded a goal-kick instead.

Barca, in contrast, were omnipresent in the final third. Full-backs Sylvinho and Gianluca Zambrotta had free reign to get forward and push back their opponents, who dug in and defended the box.

Deco had several strikes that were blocked from 20 and 25 yards out. Indeed, the most effective avenue of attack was from out wide: Sylvinho's wicked cross was chested just past the near post by Samuel Eto'o before Ronaldinho's chipped ball through found centre-half Carles Puyol, who tried to lob Boruc. The Pole tipped the ball over the bar.

Messi had intermittently shown his dangerous best form, skipping away from challenges and slipping passes slyly for his team-mates. With less than a quarter-hour to go to half-time, he pulled up after one such break, seemingly with a hamstring strain, and left the field minutes later in tears.

In the second half Scott Brown was played down the right by substitute Evander Sno. At the by-line he squared for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, only to see Xavi sliding across to concede a corner.

Thierry Henry, who supplied a sublime goal to Messi's clinical brace in the 3-2 first-leg victory, menaced at times from deep for Barca but did not often find space in the final third.

Celtic had another chance to level when McGeady came inside and found Vennegoor of Hesselink near the penalty spot, but the Dutchman directed his header wide.

Ronaldinho began to enjoy himself, showing off his signature pass again on two further occasions - looking one way and offloading in another - to great effect.

The first was for his Brazil team-mate Sylvinho again, who drove in a cross that Eto'o could not quite reach, the other a superb ball that sliced through the Celtic defence and found Henry, who failed to deliver in to the middle.

Ronaldinho and Deco both tested Boruc with rasping drives while Shunsuke Nakamura's late effort was stopped by Victor Valdes.

Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport