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The situation was similar to 2012 after the first-leg, though Barcelona managed to grab an away goal at Stamford Bridge this time and drew the first-leg 1-1.
The second-leg at the Camp Nou finished 3-0 on Wednesday night as Barcelona qualified to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League 2017/18 on a 4-1 aggregate.
Antonio Conte started the game with a genuine no.9 while Andres Iniesta made the starting 11 for Ernesto Valverde.
A 0-0 draw was enough for Barcelona to proceed to the quarterfinals while Chelsea needed a win or a high scoring draw to proceed to the next round. The Blues have played well at the Camp Nou in the past and a close game was expected on Wednesday night.
Without much ado, let’s take a look at the reasons why Antonio Conte and his men were unlucky to lose 3-0 at the Camp Nou.
#3 Marcos Alonso hits the post
Though Barcelona took a 2-0 lead in the first half, Chelsea created chances of their own. The decisive moment of the game came very late in the first half. Olivier Giroud won a free kick for Chelsea in a dangerous position, when he was fouled by Samuel Umtiti from behind.
Marcos Alonso stepped up to take the free kick. Ter Stegen was well and truly beaten at the near post as the Spaniard curled a wonderful strike. But to the dismay of Antonio Conte and Chelsea fans, the ball struck the woodwork and deflected out for a goal kick.
A goal for Chelsea right before the halftime would have changed the complexion of the game completely. 2-1 at halftime would have given them the hope and without any doubt, it was the biggest moment of the second-leg.
#2 Chelsea played with a lot of heart and desire as they took the game to Barcelona
When everyone thought that Chelsea would park the bus at the Camp Nou, Antonio Conte’s men had different ideas and came out all guns blazing against Barcelona.
Though Barcelona took an early lead, there was no shortage of hard work and effort from Chelsea as they created a lot of chances in the first half.
Willian, Eden Hazard, and Marcos Alonso played wonderfully on the night, except for their woeful finishing. Alonso and Willian were lively on the flanks and created a lot of problems for Barcelona.
Olivier Giroud went close in the 13th minute while Willian came close to making it 2-1 in the 38th minute. Kante too tried his luck from long range in the 39th minute while Alonso struck the woodwork in the 45th minute.
They were excellent going forward but defensively below par. Third Barcelona goal killed the game completely and the last few minutes were merely a formality.
#1 Early Barcelona goal
This was supposed to be a close game and that’s how it finished when these two sides met at the Camp Nou in 2012. In fact, Barcelona failed to beat Chelsea at the Camp Nou on four previous occasions.
Chelsea needed a goal on Wednesday night as a 0-0 draw would favor the Catalan giants. Chelsea got off to a worst possible start as Barcelona took the lead in the 3rd minute. Chelsea was forced to chase the game for the remainder of duration.
It was a really soft goal to concede and all of Conte’s plan to frustrate Barcelona took a hit as early as 3 minutes into the game. Though Chelsea recovered well from the early shock and played some stunning football in the first half, moments like this in a knockout game, more often than not, turn out to be a huge deciding factor.
