Four European teams held matches in the round 16 of UEFA Champions League on Thursday.
Chelsea seemed destined for victory over the Spanish giant Barcelona after a near-perfect tactical performance but one mistake proved costly, Beinsports reported.
Antonio Conte had stressed before kick-off that Chelsea needed to be perfect in order to beat an exceptional Barcelona side flying high at the top of La Liga and led by the irrepressible Lionel Messi.
For all but a few seconds of madness, Chelsea was indeed perfect and was close to win the game following Willian’s second half strike.
Barcelona barely created a chance throughout the game until a wayward pass from Andreas Christensen across his own penalty box was intercepted by Andres Iniesta, with 15 minutes to the end, allowing Messi to end his goal drought of 730 minutes and eight games against the west London club.
Chelsea saw little possession or territory for long periods, just as Conte had predicted, with Barcelona holding almost 70% of the ball. However, they did virtually nothing with it – their only other chance of the game being a tame Paulinho header that went wide.
Indeed, Chelsea created the better chances with Willian and Hazard acting as perfect outlets, carrying the ball up-field and winning free-kicks while also carving out openings.
The pair combined for Chelsea’s goal after Willian had earlier hit the post twice with similar efforts from the edge of the penalty area.
In the 62nd minute, Hazard picked up the ball from a corner and played in Willian who curled in a wonderful effort to beat Marc-André ter Stegen.
Barcelona looked unlikely to find a way back into the match as Chelsea smothered the Spanish team on the edge of the area, with Messi and Luis Suarez having no space to play with.
Chelsea’s task of going through to the Champions League quarter-finals now looks difficult but not impossible and there is still plenty to play for March 14 when they go to Camp Nou for the second leg.
Bayern Munich, helped by two typical Thomas Mueller goals and two from Robert Lewandowski, romped to a 5-0 win over Besiktas in their tie after the Turkish champion played nearly the whole match with 10 men.
Besiktas defender Domagoj Vida was given a straight red card for tripping Lewandowksi outside the penalty area in the 16th minute, the defining moment in the round of 16, first leg tie.
Mueller, inelegant yet always effective, broke the deadlock with a miskick two minutes before half-time to break Besiktas’ resistance.
Kingsley Coman and Mueller added two more before Lewandowski helped himself to a late brace, virtually assuring the Bavarians of a seventh successive quarter-final appearance.
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