FCB-Milan (3-1)

Milestone match for Guardiola and Alves

Guardiola has managed FC Barcelona in 50 Champions League matches, while the Brazilian played his 200th official match for the Club

Pep Guardiola has led FC Barcelona in 50 Champions League matches. In his four seasons on the Barça bench, he’s managed to take the team to four consecutive semifinals in the continental tournament. He managed the team in 15 Champions League matches in the 2008/09 season, 12 in the 2009/10 season, 13 in the 2010/11 season and 10 in the current season.

Guardiola has led his team to 31 wins, 14 draws and 5 defeats. The team have scored 119 goals (2.4 per match) and conceded 40 (0.8 per match) with him on the bench. He’s also led his team to two Champions League titles (2009 and 2011).

Alves reaches 200 games for Barça 

Dani Alves played in his 200th official match for Barça this evening. He’s defended the Barça shirt 125 times in the Liga, 43 in the Champions League, 21 in the Cup, 6 in the Spanish Super Cup, 2 in the European Super Cup and 3 in the Club World Cup. Despite almost always playing on defence, the Brazilian has scored 15 goals in his 3 and a half seasons at Barça.

FC Barcelona qualifies for the their fifth consecutive Champions League semifinal

With the elimination of Milan, Barça are the first team to qualify for five consecutive Champions League semifinals

The team led by Josep Guardiola continues to make history. With Tuesday’s victory over AC Milan in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Barça are the first team to ever manage to qualify for five consecutive semifinals in the competition. It’s worth noting that the competition’s current format started in the 1992/93 season.

This fantastic run was started by Frank Rijkaard in the 2007/08 season. On that occasion, Barça saw off Schalke 04 after beating the Germans in both the legs of the tie by 1-0. They were sent out of the competition in the semifinals by Manchester United (0-0 at the Camp Nou and 1-0 at Old Trafford).

With Josep Guardiola on the Barça bench, in the 2008/09 season, Barça eliminated Bayern in the quarterfinals and Chelsea in the semifinals. In the 2009/10 season, Arsenal were Barça’s victim in the quarterfinals, however the Catalans were eliminated by Inter Milan in the semifinals. Last season, after eliminating Shakhtar in the quarterfinals, FC Barcelona sent Real Madrid crashing out in a memorable semifinal matchup. With Guardiola on the bench, Barça have always reached the penultimate round of the competition.

The 13th semifinal in Club history

This is the 13th time FC Barcelona have reached the semifinals of the Champions League in Club history. The first four times Barça made it to this round was when the competition was called the European Cup. They were in the 1959/60, 1960/61, 1974/75 and 1985/86 seasons - Barça played against Real Madrid, Hamburg, Leeds and Göteborg, respectively.

In the competition’s current format, counting this season, FC Barcelona have made it to the semifinals on nine occasions. The first time was in the 1993/94 season, followed by the 1999/00, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons. The team played against Oporto, Valencia, Real Madrid, Milan, Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid. Of the 12 match-ups played to date, Barça have managed to get to the final on six occasions. Of these, they’ve won the title four times.

It’s important to point out that, in this overview, the 1991/92 season is not taken into account. FC Barcelona qualified for the final in Wembley after the group stage, they beat Sampdoria to claim Barça’s first European crown.

Three titles in seven years

In the 2005/06 season, Rijkaard’s Barça lifted the Club’s second Champions League title in Paris. With Guardiola as manager, the Club would add two more titles. The first came in the 2008/09 season, in Rome, and the second, in the 2010/11 season, in the same venue of the 1992 final, at the legendary Wembley stadium. In total, three titles in seven years and six semifinals in the same timespan.

FC Barcelona v Milan: Superlative victory (3-1)

Barça have beaten AC Milan in style to extend their legend by becoming the first team to qualify for five consecutive semi finals in the Champions League era

Messi, with two penalties, and Iniesta got the Barça goals

The Champions League quarter final second leg 2011/12 will go down in history as one of Barcelona’s most magical nights in Europe. It was a tactically rich and intensely gripping encounter, in which Barça’s stylish football, ambitious game-plan and domination of possession overcome a gallant Milan side to qualify for the semi finals. For the fifth time in a row! The Catalans scored three times in doing so, but with a bit more fortune in front of goal, the margin could easily have been even wider.

Early goal, the ideal start

Everything was still up in the air after the goalless draw at the Giuseppe Meazza. As expected, Milan continued with the conservative tactics that had earned them that draw in the first leg, while Barça, also as expected, went straight out and attacked. As always. Guardiola even risked a three-man defence, something very few managers would ever choose to do at such a crucial stage of this competition, fielding Alves and (surprisingly) Cuenca as his full backs.

With the Camp Nou more vociferous than ever, the home side got off to a blistering start. Only six minutes had passed and Messi had already had two wonderful chances, and was brought down in the area when he was about to attempt the third. The referee pointed to the sport, the Argentinian made no mistake, and Barça were in the lead after just ten minutes.

Barça respond quickly to Milan leveller

Barça were able to relax after getting the all-important goal. They kept things tight, always playing as a unit, and with Busquets in particular shining in midfield. Milan, meanwhile, almost looked divided in two: the strikers (Robinho, Boateng and Ibrahimovic), and the defenders (the rest). In the 32nd minute, Ibra found space and laid the ball on for Nocerino, who beat Valdés with an angled strike. It had been their first serious threat of the whole game, and the goal and such effectiveness stunned the Camp Nou. But the crowd wasn’t going to have to suffer for long…

Milan immediately responded by tightening their defence, while Barça continued playing football the only way they know and were soon back in the lead following a penalty awarded for a tug on Busquets’ shirt in the area, a decision the Milan players disputed intensely. Messi once again beat Abbiati from the spot, the third time he has done so in this edition of the Champions League. Immediately afterwards, it was Guardiola’s turn to modify his tactics in what sometimes resembled a game of human chess, as he reverted to a more traditional 4-3-3 system.

Iniesta extends the lead

The defending champions were just as dominant after the break, although Milan always looked dangerous on the counter attack. But it was actually a Barça counter that led to the home side’s third goal of the evening. Messi led the move, and managed to get the ball to Iniesta, who finished things off in exquisite fashion.

The crowd could breathe at last. With a two goal cushion, the songs were more positive than ever, and one of the most impressive moments came when the home fans offered a generous ovation to veteran Clarence Seedorf when he was substituted in the 60th minute. Barça had started enjoying themselves, and looked reasonably home and dry, but the Milanese outfit never let their heads drop, and proudly battled on to keep Barça on their toes right until the end, even though things got increasingly more desperate for the visitors as every minute went by.

In the 68th minute, Thiago, who had come on for Xavi, came frustratingly close to making it four, and shortly after came the most negative moment of the night when an injured Piqué called to be substituted. Keen to avoid any other nasty surprises, Barça expertly managed the clock while also managing to create a series of late half chances. But little did it matter. More than deserved qualification for the semi finals was by now a certainty. One night more of Barça magic at the Camp Nou has taken the team into the semi finals for the fifth time in a row, and now all they have to do is wait until tomorrow to find out whether they will be playing Benfica or Chelsea.

Messi, 51 goals in the Champions League

Leo Messi scored his 51st goal in the Champions League this Tuesday, so far he’s scored 14 in this year’s tournament

The Argentine is one goal away from becoming the player with the most goals scored in one season in the Champions League

Leo Messi can now say he’s scored 51 goals in the Champions League, making him the third highest all-time goalscorer of the competition. The Argentine has scored more goals than Thierry Henry, and is only behind Raúl (71) and Van Nistelrooy (56). FC Barcelona’s playmaker has celebrated 51 goals since his debut in the Champions League in the 2004/05 season, 42 of them came under the tutelage of Josep Guardiola. Messi has also been the highest goalscorer in the last three editions of the tournament, with 9, 8 and 12 goals, respectively. He could very well repeat the feat this year. So far this season, he’s beat his own personal best in the tournament and drawn level with the 14-goal record set by Altafini, ex-Milan player in the 1962/63 season.

If Messi scores, the team doesn’t lose 

Messi has scored in 32 matches in the Champions League, of those, Barça have won 28 and drawn 4. The Argentine has scored 27 of his 51 goals at the Camp Nou, 23 away from home, and 2 in Champions League finals, one in Rome and another at Wembley.

51 goals in 66 matches

2004/05 Season

No goals, only one game played

2005/06 Season

1 goal in 6 games played

2006/07 Season

1 goal in 5 games played

2007/08 Season

6 goals in 9 games played

2008/09 Season

9 goals in 12 games played

2009/10 Season

8 goals in 11 games played

2010/11 Season

12 goals in 13 games played

2011/12 Season

14 goals in 10 games played