By Benson Petit-Clair
Following the qualifications of Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich into the quarter-finals on Tuesday, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain punches their own tickets to the elite eight today.
Similar to the first match between the two clubs, Leo Messi and Dani Alves scored a goal each in the second half to propel Barcelona into the last eight of the competition. The contest saw an uneventful start as the sides would enter the halftime mark on a scoreless draw.
Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta had great looks to open the score for the Citizens, but all three of them failed to convert on their chances. Lionel Messi opened the scoring for the hosts in the 67th minute when he flicked the ball over City keeper Joe Hart to give the homeside a 3-0 lead on aggregate.
Messi’s goal was his eighth in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Manchester City finished the match with 10 players much like the 2-0 defeat in the first leg, Pablo Zabaleta received his second yellow of the night for protesting what he believed was a foul after Edin Dzeko was clipped from behind by Gerard Pique in the penalty area.
Vincent Kompany scored the consolation goal for the visitors following a free kick in the dying minutes before Dani Alves could add one more goal for the Catalans in extra-time.
Elsewhere, PSG advances to the quarters behind a 2-1 victory at home against Bayer Leverkusen, following a 4-0 victory in the first leg. Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marquinhos provided the scorings for Laurent Blanc’s side at the Parc des Princes.