Lionel Messi’s first goal in nine Champions League games against Chelsea gave Barcelona a potentially vital away goal as they rode their luck to earn a draw in the first leg of their last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had subdued Messi, and Willian had struck the woodwork twice in the first half before a fine low finish from the edge of the area made it third time lucky for the Brazilian and gave Antonio Conte’s side a deserved lead after 62 minutes.
However, one moment of carelessness cost Chelsea dear as Andres Iniesta intercepted Andreas Christensen’s pass to tee up Messi to swing the balance of the tie in Barca’s favour 15 minutes from time.
It was cruel on the hosts after an outstanding display – but gives Barcelona the advantage of an away goal for the return leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, 14 March.
The English champions must now score when they travel to the Camp Nou on March 14 to have any chance of making the last eight.
The Chelsea manager rightly refused to blame Christensen, arguing that it was a fine balance at all times between youth and experience, to try to find the right players to carry out his game plan.
He was so close to getting it right, including the decision to drop Gary Cahill in favour of Christensen, and there was still a spark of hope in Conte afterwards that his team can reach the quarter-finals, however difficult it might be.
Certainly the form of Willian suggests he is reaching top gear with a brilliant, brave performance in which he carried the fight to Barcelona at all times.
As for Messi, we were treated to a few moments in the first half when he spun and ran at Chelsea, and one glorious feint which had Rudiger standing on the wrong foot as the great man glided past him.
Messi is at the stage of his career when the reverence for him in the opposition is unmistakable, and there are few on the pitch who can recall a time when he was not the king – even if on this occasion his goal was among the easier ones he has scored.
Chelsea’s players were a picture of obvious and understandable disappointment as they trooped off at the final whistle – but it was with the applause of the home support ringing in their ears.
This was in recognition of an outstanding team performance that did not get the reward it deserved and must serve as encouragement for the second leg in Barcelona.
Chelsea, underpinned by Conte’s tactical nous, proved they could both threaten and subdue their opponents – and they must do it again.
Barcelona, however, must be favourites because the momentum is now with them and the balance and emphasis of the tie shifted in the time it took Messi to score that crucial goal.
Chelsea, however, demonstrated they have no reason to fear the Spanish side, and past history has also shown they can defy the odds, as they did to beat this same opposition in the 2012 Champions League semi-final on the way to lifting the trophy in Munich.