Wednesday March 28, 2012 Quarter-final Finished Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

  1. Defiant Milan hold Barcelona

    Defiant Milan hold Barcelona

    A courageous defensive display from Milan held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the San Siro in their Champions League quarter-final first leg. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • AC Milan
    • FC Barcelona
    • 90+4' There's the final whistle, and Milan come away with a goalless draw after a stout defensive display. They'll have to pull off something special in the Camp Nou, but they can take plenty of pride from tonight's performance.
    • 90+3' Milan win a last free-kick inside the Barcelona half... lobbed into the box but headed clear.
    • 90+2' Messi drives towards goal and lays it off for Xavi - who zips a shot wide from 25 yards.
    • 90+1' Three more minutes will be played. Milan have a throw inside their own half...
    • 90' Into the final minute of the 90, and Milan are standing firm. How much stoppage time?
    • 88' Messi is down in the box again, this time after a collision with Bonera. Again, no penalty.
    • 87' Messi's shot is parried by Abbiati but Tello pounces on the rebound - BLOCKED BY ANTONINI who punches the air!
    • 86' Ibrahimovic wins a foul off Mascherano and takes a quick free kick... but it comes to nothing.
    • 85' Well in again from Ambrosini, who has been heroic. He nicks it off Alves and draws a foul from the Barca man.
    • 83' Eleven men back for Milan, who look happy enough to settle for 0-0, which is not a bad result in light of the away goals rule.
    • 82' Barcelona knock the ball around, teasing and trying to tenpt Milan into a rash challenge.
    • 81' Tello, who has been lively, runs inside from the left but Abbiati is out quickly to slide in and claim the ball.
    • 81' Into the last 10 minutes - who has a winning goal in them?
    • 79' Keita lobs the ball over the top, but Mesbah gets to it first and heads back to Abbiati.
    • 78' Xavi's corner is met by the flying Puyol, who guides a header towards the unguarded far post... just wide! By the way, Mesbah was pulling Puyol's shirt incredibly blatantly.
    • 77' Tello finds Messi, who takes aim and lets fly, but Ambrosini makes a brilliant, lunging block. Corner.
    • 76' Barcelona make their second change - Pedro is on for Alexis Sanchez.
    • 75' First nervy moment for Mesbah, who nearly gets closed down and hacks the ball hurriedly away...
    • 74' Oh lord, it's Mesbah. He replaces the hobbled Nesta. But it's Mesbah. Gulp.
    • 73' Xavi finds Tello on the left side of the box... he jinks outside his man and slams a hopeful shot into the side netting. Messi looks none too pleased with his mate.
    • 72' Xavi is six passes away from completing his century. Well done him, etc.
    • 71' Goal at the Stade Velodrome between Marseille and Bayern Munich - who's got it? Find out here...
    • 70' Yellow card Ambrosini for a foul on Xavi. Well, a sort of shove really...
    • 69' Ibrahimovic races down the right channel and tries to cut a cross in front of goal... straight at Valdes.
    • 68' Imemdiate chance for Emanuelson as the ball drops for him inside the box - but his first touch is really poor and the ball scoots away to the right flank. That opportunity came a bit too quickly for him.
    • 67' Another Milan change - Urby Emanuelson replaces Kevin Prince Boateng. A bit of solidity.
    • 66' Tello was nabbed from city rivals Espanyol in 2010. He has seven goals in 13 appearances for Barcelona.
    • 65' Interesting change from Pep Guardiola. Tello comes on for Andres Iniesta.
    • 64' Alves finds Sanchez on the right side of the box... back to Iniesta who is dispossessed. Iniesta gets another go, this time overhitting a through ball intended for Sanchez.
    • 63' Zlatan drops deep for the ball and tries to start an attack, but Milan are very cautious in possession and play it back to Abbiati.
    • 62' This has been a good spell for Milan, and El Shaarawy does well to dart past his man before delivering a dog of a cross from the right.
    • 61' Ambrosini picks Keita's pocket and is brought down by the Barcelona man. Yellow card.
    • 59' It's getting to that time where we start looking for potential difference-makers on the bench. Milan have Aquilani, Emanuelson and Maxi Lopez. Barca have Fabregas, Thiago and Pedro.
    • 58' Nesta chops Messi cynically, then simply nods at the ref when he is booked. Yep. No argument.
    • 57' Ibrahimovic goes down at the edge of the box, but it looks a good challenge from Mascherano and the ref agrees.
    • 56' El Shaarawy sets Boateng away through the centre... he finds Nocerino on the right and his cross is blocked.
    • 54' Another offside against Ibrahimovic, this one much more clear-cut that the last.
    • 53' El Shaarawy straight into the action in the final third, but his touch is intercepted. He's had an up-and-down season but Robinho was offering very little.
    • 52' And Robinho is off! I promise it's nothing to do with the 'injury'! Stephan El Shaarawy comes on.
    • 51' Seedorf plays it through the middle for Zlatan, who is flagged offside but the replay shows he may well have been level.
    • 49' Alves picks Robinho's pocket and Barca go clear down the right. Robinho stays down but he's obviously, OBVIOUSLY feigning injury. Barcelona very sportingly (or gullibly) put the ball out.
    • 48' For the first time tonight, Milan play a bit of keep-ball...
    • 47' Iniesta cuts inside from the left and slashes the ball goalwards... it zings a yard wide of the left-hand post.
    • 46' Second half under way! Barcelona have scored in their last 29 Champions League games and will fancy extending that streak in the second half.
    • 45' Half-time at the San Siro. No goals, but Barcelona on top. This game has not quite got going yet.
    • 44' If you think Manchester City play narrow, get a load of Milan. All 11 players in the central third if the pitch seemingly at all times.
    • 43' Xavi tries to lift a 20-yarder into the top corner - he gets too much elevation and puts it over the bar.
    • 42' Messi dribbles inside the box and Ambrosini dispossesses him with a fine, sliding challenge. Well played.
    • 41' Alves to the edge of the box, where a line of five Milan players defend it. Seedorf tries to bring the ball away, but he loses out and Barcelona come again.
    • 40' Misplaced pass from Xavi. Barcelona have made a few technical slips. Would be easy to blame the pitch, which is pretty ropey. Or maybe some Barcelona players have just made some mistakes. You decide.
    • 39' Still no goals at the Stade Velodrome - you can follow all the action between Marseille and Bayern Munich with us. Marseille v Bayern Munich: LIVE
    • 38' Milan come quickly away on the break... Nocerino plays a diagonal ball for Seedorf, who hits his attempted volley into the ground. A very difficult skill to hit that one cleanly, and the Dutchman cannot do it this time.
    • 37' Sanchez, Messi and Keita combine just outside the box... hoofed away again by a slightly ragged-looking Milan defence.
    • 35' That was a pretty hairy moment for Milan - last-ditch stuff from the left-back Antonini.
    • 34' Sanchez races clear for Barcelona and prepares to shoot... but Antonini does brilliantly to race back and block the shot!
    • 33' Decent Barca move, but Boateng does enough to disrupt his attempt on goal...
    • 32' The rumours suggest Gerard Pique and Shakira have split up, but the Barca man is having a decent evening. No visible signs of heartbreak...
    • 31' Iniesta threads a superb pass through for Sanchez, who declines to shoot and backheels into the path of Xavi, whose shot is blocked by Nesta!
    • 30' Nesta tackles Messi and virtually gets a standing ovation. I love Nesta.
    • 29' Milan juggle the ball around at the edge of the box, and it drops for Boateng who leathers a left-foot shot about 25 rows back.
    • 28' Alves goes down the right touchline for Sanchez, but Antonini does well to tidy up. Milan definitely second-best at the moment, through.
    • 26' Xavi exchanges passes with Messi and fires a low shot that Abbiati does well to palm away! Goodness knows how many passes that move was - it was fully two minutes long.
    • 25' Still with Barca... working the ball from one side to the other inside the Milan half.
    • 24' It's back with Barcelona, as Messi drops deep to dictate the attack...
    • 23' Seedorf has been booked for a foul on Xavi. Yes, he gave the Barca midfielder a whack on the ankle.
    • 22' Knocked long for Ibrahimovic, but he is outnumbered by red and blue shirts, and away come Barca.
    • 20' ZLATAN!! Seedorf catches Pique cold and slides Ibrahimovic in... he tries a low left-foot finish but Valdes makes a good save from his former team-mate.
    • 19' Barcelona are looking ominous, and they nearly steal in when a pass to Mexes at the back is almost catastrophocally misplaced.
    • 18' The ball's in the net from Messi, but he is clearly offside as he meets Alves's cross. No goal.
    • 17' Sanchez was arguably fouled twice, and although he made the most of the contact from Abbiati, it really should have been a penalty.
    • 16' A magnificently-worked quick-passing free-kick routine gives Sanchez a great chance.. he knocks it past Abbiati and goes down... NO PENALTY!
    • 15' Another Barca free-kick, and more laser pen...
    • 14' Somebody was shining a laser pen at Messi as he prepared to take that free-kick - yes, THAT'S why he fell over...
    • 13' Messi tries to exchange passes with Sanchez at the edge of the Milan box, but the return ball is cut out.
    • 12' Alves runs into Antonini, but the ball is soon back with Barca, and Milan are just opting for a containing job at the moment.
    • 11' More whistles from the crowd as Barcelona knock the ball among themselves.
    • 10' Mascherano works hard to dispossess Robinho on the left side of the box. You'd imagine he will try to look after Robinho with the much taller Pique on Ibrahimovic.
    • 9' Abbiati spills a low Messi shot, and Dani Alves is nearly able to knock the rebound in but the ball squirts wide. A lucky escape for the Milan keeper.
    • 8' Barcelona are already starting to dominate possession, which they tend to do home and away...
    • 7' There's also action in the south of France tonight, where Marseille are playing Bayern Munich. Follow that match here.
    • 6' Messi slips as he strikes it, yet somehow it turns into a perfect ball for Keita, who heads poorly wide - but the offside flag was up anyway.
    • 5' Barcelona free-kick just outside the box (nowhere near the 29m suggested by the caption). The referee pushes the Milan wall back...
    • 4' Messi gets beyond Mexes and drills a low cross... nobody arriving. Barca do have a more defensive feel to them today, with Keita starting ahead of Fabregas.
    • 4' That was Manchester City Robinho. A shame, as he's been playing well this season.
    • 3' MASSIVE CHANCE!! Boateng's shot is blocked, but it comes back to Milan for whom Ibrahimovic nods across the face of goal for Robinho, who sidefoots his volley miles over with the goal at his mercy. What a waste.
    • 2' Boateng tries a long shot, but he doesn't catch it cleanly and Valdes saves.
    • 2' Offside against Kevin Prince Boateng as he tries to get beyond the last man.
    • 1' Game on! Barcelona kick off, playing from left to right as we see it. Cracking noise in the San Siro, and a whole host of jeers as the visitors roll the ball about.
    • 19:45 Right, here we go. Milan, incidentally, have opted for their white change shirts. Barca in blue and red...
    • 19:42 The Milan fans are holding up cards depicting a Pac-Man scene of a little blue and red ghost getting eaten. Arty. Well, arty-ish.
    • 19:41 Ah, Silvio! Buonasera! Signor Berlusconi is in the tunnel, sporting a cheeky smile and a mahogony tan.
    • 19:40 Tweet from @MrBearKnowsmore: "hoping Nesta has a little magic in those old legs.100 Years old from the lower back to the ankles.19 in the center of the chest" - Thanks Mr Bear. Plenty of Milan support on Twitter tonight. Tweet me - @alexchick81
    • 19:35 Barca coach Pep Guardiola has tried to make nice with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the build-up to this tie, describing him as "unstoppable". So unstoppable he sold him.
    • 19:30 He's out injured today, but Milan defender Thiago Silva is apparently a transfer target for Barca. Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has told them to rack off. Thiago Silva not for sale
    • 19:25 After Lionel Messi scored his record-breaking goal for Barcelona, I put together these stats about his exploits. Enjoy...
    • 19:20 Barcelona have averaged 74.3% possession in their games so far this season – the next best team have averaged 62.6%. Lionel Messi has scored 30 goals in his last 25 appearances in the Champions League for Barcelona.
    • 19:15 AC Milan have won only four of their last 15 Champions League games. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in five of his last six appearances in the Champions League, as well as providing three assists in this period.
    • 19:10 The last occasion that Barcelona lost a Champions League knockout tie came against Italian opposition. They lost 3-1 at the San Siro against Inter Milan in the 2009-10 semi final first leg, before winning 1-0 at home in the second leg. Since losing that tie, Barcelona have scored 60 goals in 21 games in the Champions League and have lost just once (v Arsenal in Feb 2011).
    • 19:05 The language of cliche suggests we should be 'salivating' over this match. I am a little bit, but possibly because I've just had a KitKat. So what are you doing? Tweet me - @alexchick81
    • 19:00 My name's Alex Chick, and I'm excited to be bringing this match to you. This game should be a belter. You can Tweet me your thoughts - @alexchick81 Tweet me!
    • 18:55 Interesting teams - Milan go with Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, while 36-year-old Alessandro Nesta starts. Barca will have Carlos Puyol at left-back with Javier Mascherano in the centre of defence. Seydou Keyta is preferred to Cesc Fabregas in midfield.
    • 18:50 MILAN: Abbiati, Mexes, Nesta, Bonera, Antonini, Seedorf, Nocerino, Ambrosini, Boateng, Ibrahimovic, Robinho... Subs: Amelia, Mesbah, Yepes, Aquilani, Emanuelson, Maxi Lopez, El Shaarawy. /// BARCELONA: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Keita, Alexis, Messi... Subs: Pinto, Muniesa, Montoya, Fabregas, Thiago, Pedro, Tello.
    • 18:45 Welcome to LIVE coverage of the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Milan and Barcelona.

  • Summary

    • 87' Messi's shot is parried by Abbiati but Tello pounces on the rebound - BLOCKED BY ANTONINI who punches the air!
    • 78' Xavi's corner is met by the flying Puyol, who guides a header towards the unguarded far post... just wide! By the way, Mesbah was pulling Puyol's shirt incredibly blatantly.
    • 77' Tello finds Messi, who takes aim and lets fly, but Ambrosini makes a brilliant, lunging block. Corner.
    • 34' Sanchez races clear for Barcelona and prepares to shoot... but Antonini does brilliantly to race back and block the shot!
    • 26' Xavi exchanges passes with Messi and fires a low shot that Abbiati does well to palm away! Goodness knows how many passes that move was - it was fully two minutes long.
    • 20' ZLATAN!! Seedorf catches Pique cold and slides Ibrahimovic in... he tries a low left-foot finish but Valdes makes a good save from his former team-mate.
    • 18' The ball's in the net from Messi, but he is clearly offside as he meets Alves's cross. No goal.
    • 16' A magnificently-worked quick-passing free-kick routine gives Sanchez a great chance.. he knocks it past Abbiati and goes down... NO PENALTY!
    • 9' Abbiati spills a low Messi shot, and Dani Alves is nearly able to knock the rebound in but the ball squirts wide. A lucky escape for the Milan keeper.
    • 3' MASSIVE CHANCE!! Boateng's shot is blocked, but it comes back to Milan for whom Ibrahimovic nods across the face of goal for Robinho, who sidefoots his volley miles over with the goal at his mercy. What a waste.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      6.7 6
      Defenders
      6 8
      Yellow Card Substitution Out75′ 6.5 7
      6.1 7
      6.4 9
      Midfielders
      Yellow Card 6.4 9
      5.9 7
      Yellow Card 6.9 7
      Substitution Out67′ 6.3 6
      Strikers
      Substitution Out52′ 5.6 5
      6.1 6
      Subs
      Substitution In75′ 6.4 5
      Substitution In67′ 4.8 6
      Substitution In52′ 6.2 7
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.9 6
      Defenders
      6.1 7
      6 6
      6.1 7
      6.5 7
      Midfielders
      5.7 6
      6.8 7
      Yellow Card 6 6
      Strikers
      Substitution Out76′ 6.3 7
      Substitution Out65′ 6.6 7
      6.9 6
      Subs
      Substitution In76′ 6.2 -
      Substitution In65′ 6.3 7

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