Barcelona silenced the critics with a tremendous 4-0 win over AC Milan in the 2013 Champions League round of 16.
After losing 2-0 to Milan a few weeks ago and following that performance with two straight defeats to Real Madrid, many thought that Barcelona might start regressing. However, their victory over Milan indicated the complete opposite. Blaugrana dominated Milan in every statistical category and forced the Italian side into undisciplined play. AC Milan caused 19 fouls to Barcelona's six and only had two shots on goal; Barça had seven. Barcelona had six corner kicks while Milan only obtained three. Most importantly, Barcelona's controlled possession for 67 percent of the game.
Barcelona became the first team to ever advance in the Champions League after falling behind 2-0 in the first leg. Barcelona got its historic game going just five minutes in as the team passed itself into Milan's half. Lionel Messi passed the ball to Xavi who returned it instantly to the Argentine. Messi then cut left and roofed the ball just outside the Milan penalty area. But Milan ultimately cost themselves the following to goals. Andres Iniesta stole the ball from a Milan midfielder and dished it off to Messi. The striker dribbled into the box, cut to his left and blasted it past the Milan defense and goalkeeper. The goal was scored at the 39th and leveled the aggregate with 45 minutes to play. On the third goal, the Milan defense shot the ball down the middle where it was met by an oncoming Barcelona defender. The ball found its way to David Villa on the right wing. The forward cut past a defender and scored.
The final goal came from a Barcelona counter attack. Messi dished the ball off to Alexis Sanchez who found a streaking Jordi Alba down the middle. Alba made no mistake and assured a 4-0 win for Barcelona.
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