Barca secure big win as Roma self-destruct

Barcelona capitalised on two disastrous own goals by AS Roma to thrash the Italian side 4-1 at the Nou Camp Wednesday and take a huge step towards reaching the Champions League semi-final for the first time in three years. Roma's captain Daniele de Rossi hit an unstoppable shot into his own net to break the deadlock in the 38th minute of what had been a delicately poised first leg and a second own goal 10 minutes into the second half, this time by Greek defender Kostas Manolas, stretched the runaway La Liga leader's advantage. Barca defender Gerard Pique piled misery on the Italians four minutes later, mopping up the rebound after Luis Suarez was thwarted by goalkeeper Alisson before Roma's top scorer Edin Dzeko struck at the right end to give his side faint hope of a turnaround in the second leg. Suarez effectively vanquished those hope, however, by notching his side's fourth goal three minutes from time, scoring for the first time in the Champions League in over a year.

Leo Messi's #UCL record for Barcelona = ??? @FCBarcelona hero tonight? ? pic.twitter.com/01jKoxnX82

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 4, 2018

Five-time European champion Barca are still unbeaten in La Liga and the Champions League and were overwhelming favourite against Eusebio di Francesco's side, who are third in Serie A and have never gone beyond the quarter-final since reaching the 1984 European Cup final. Roma set up to cancel out Barca and had managed the game well and kept Lionel Messi quiet until De Rossi's untimely own goal, which came as the veteran midfielder tried to prevent the Argentine forward reaching a pass from Andres Iniesta. Dzeko could have won a penalty in the ninth minute when he was pushed over by Nelson Semedo and winger Diego Perotti failed to hit the target from a free header at the start of the second half when they were only a goal down. Italian forward Lorenzo Pellegrini was also brought down by Samuel Umtiti at the end of the first half, with the referee giving a free kick on the edge of the area rather than the penalty Roma appealed for.

2️⃣6️⃣ home #UCL games unbeaten! ? https://t.co/S3Wi5FOl6N pic.twitter.com/IFN2HsXlCq

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 5, 2018

The visitor suddenly came alive after Pique’s goal had given them a near-impossible task, however. Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen nearly gifted them a goal when he darted from his area and lost possession but the German recovered to make a brilliant save to deny Roma substitute Gregoire Defrel and he tipped over a long-range strike from the Frenchman a minute later. Dzeko's close-range finish could have been a rallying cry for the Italians but Suarez showed no mercy down the other end, pouncing on a failed clearance by Federico Fazio and hammering in his first European goal in his last 11 games.QUARTER-FINAL, 1ST LEGBarcelona 4 (De Rossi 38-og, Manolas 55-og, Pique 59, Suarez 87) Roma 1 (Dzeko 80)