Discipline key to countering Catalans' dominance of ball.
Barcelona are well versed in passing opponents to death by a thousand triangles, but in their vanquishing by AC Milan they discovered that tiki-taka could be trumped by catenaccio.
Lionel Messi and his team-mates attempted an astonishing 801 passes, with 90 per cent accuracy, against the home side's 294 and yet still -managed to lose 2-0, as goals by the former Portsmouth pair of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari exposed their curious aimlessness in possession.
"We played badly and we can't make any excuses," said centre-back Gerard Pique, as Barcelona confronted a daunting task to overturn the deficit in the return leg at the Nou Camp on March 12.
The headline in La Gazzetta dello Sport read Barca, tanto possesso per nulla (so much possession for nothing) - underlining the pity of the Catalans' plight as they faced the prospect of a premature Champions League exit.
Massimo Ambrosini, the Milan captain who helped marshal his side's superlative defensive work, said: "Maybe it's not aesthetically beautiful, maybe it's not very pleasant to watch, but Barcelona force you to play like that and history teaches you that Barcelona were only ever eliminated from the competition by teams who faced them in this way."
Milan's debt of gratitude for this momentous win was owed to Boateng and Muntari, who produced superb second-half goals and who both, remarkably, sharpened their teeth at an English club since reduced to League One and the brink of liquidation. Portsmouth fans had much cause to be rueful at the sight of two of their alumni, both who appeared for them in FA Cup finals, becoming the toast of San Siro by deposing the finest club side in the world.
Muntari claimed: "This was the most important goal of my career." Paying tribute to Massimiliano Allegri, the Milan manager who must now raise the Rossoneri again for Sunday night's Milan derby against Inter, he said:
"We listened to our coach - he was fantastic in the way he set us up. Allegri was the best player for us. He instilled the discipline and laid out the perfect plan."
Their wounded adversaries did not seek to disguise the damage. "A 2-0 defeat is a hard blow for us," captain Carles Puyol said. "We were in control for most of the game but couldn't create any real opportunities to score. We have confidence in our qualities but it is a hard task for us."
Team-mate Dani Alves said: "Historically, Milan are a great side in this competition. But we still have a chance."
Barcelona received more positive news yesterday when left-back Eric Abidal was cleared to make his return to the first team less than a year after undergoing a liver transplant. The French international has been recovering from the operation since February, having -previously had surgery to remove a tumour in 2011. Midfielder Xavi said: "It's not a great day, but seeing Abidal is the best news we could have had."
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