Two from Alexis puts Barca in driving seat

Two goals from Alexis Sánchez and one from little Leo Messi put Barcelona firmly in the driving seat for their showdown with Bayer Leverkusen at the Camp Nou for the second leg of the Champions League last 16 tie.

Barca dominated much of the game with their familiar style of play but to be fair to Leverkusen they were really “up for it” and quite dangerous at times. Thanks to an in-form Víctor Valdés the scoreline could have been even.

Messi produced a stellar performance last night unlike the his performance at Osasuna on Saturday where he was obviously not himself.

Barcelona had never ceded the majority of possession in their previous 44 Champions League games under Pep Guardiola and it became quickly apparent that particular statistic would not be in jeopardy in Germany. While Barca were as accomplished as ever with the ball at their feet, Leverkusen looked hesitant and unconvincing in front of their home supporters.

The consequence was that the Bundesliga side spent much of the first half chasing the ball and were unable to seriously trouble Victor Valdes in the away goal. Indeed, as Barca monopolised possession and restricted Leverkusen to only sporadic snatches of opportunity, it became apparent how they were able to restrict their opponents to just seven shots on target during the duration of the group stage. Original here.

This was the Barca we all know and they proved that they can cut it even being under tremendous pressure from recent criticism for their away from home performances.Baye Leverkusen now have to come to the Camp Nou knowing that the possibility of going through to the quarter finals is pretty remote as recent signing from Tottenham Vedran Corluka pointed out on German TV after the game.