BARCELONA, March 17 (Reuters): Barcelona's dynamic attacking trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi were too strong for Arsenal as all three scored in a 3-1 victory on Wednesday that sent the Spanish side into the Champions League quarter-finals 5-1 on aggregate.
Brazil's Neymar opened the scoring in the first half as the home side dominated the early play, but Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny curled in an excellent finish to spark life into the visitors after the break.
Suarez, however, launched himself into the air to meet a Dani Alves cross and send a superb volley into the top corner to deflate the English side, who have now been knocked out of the tournament in the last 16 for six successive seasons.
The mercurial Messi rounded off the scoring with a trademark chipped finish two minutes from time as the defending champions extended their record-breaking unbeaten run to 38 matches in all competitions.
"We know we need to attack and defend at the same level if we want to win," Barcelona coach Luis Enrique told reporters.
The La Liga leaders remained on course for a second successive treble and their coach is not concerned about who they face in the last eight of Europe's most prestigious club competition.
"The only team I want to keep away from us is Barca and I think we have no chances to meet them," he joked.
The defeat will increase the pressure on Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose side are 11 points adrift of leaders Leicester City in the Premier League and exited the FA Cup last weekend.
"We had our chances, but we couldn't take them," Wenger said.
"But we have to say well done to Barcelona. They have two or three players who transfer normal life into art."
Barcelona served notice of their intent when Arsenal keeper David Ospina was forced into a superb save to deny Messi, but the reprieve was short-lived as the hosts took the lead through Neymar's side-footed finish after 18 minutes.
Arsenal had lost possession playing out from the back before Suarez angled a perfectly-weighted pass into the path of Neymar to slide the ball past Ospina.
Former Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez fluffed the visitors' best chance when he headed wide, but Arsenal continued to press and levelled six minutes into the second half when Elneny bent a sweet finish into the top corner from 20 metres.
Just when it looked like Arsenal might spring a surprise, however, Suarez's acrobatics finished the tie before Messi burst into the box and lifted the ball calmly into the net to cap another superb individual display.
Bayern fight back to beat Juventus
MUNICH, March 16 (Reuters): Bayern Munich staged a sensational comeback, scoring twice in extra time after battling back from two goals down to beat Juventus 4-2 on Wednesday and march into the Champions League last eight with a 6-4 aggregate victory. Thiago Alcantara drilled in after 108 minutes and Kingsley Coman curled in their fourth goal as Bayern, who needed a 90th-minute equaliser from Thomas Mueller to force extra time, finished stronger to keep up their treble hopes.
In a reverse of the first leg when Juve came back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2, Bayern dug deep to score twice in the second half. "This was a game that affects your heart rate," said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "It was a very emotional game, a case of deja-vu but with a different outcome from the first leg. But it must be said that Juve are a bit unlucky to go out like that."
It was a bitter defeat for last season's runners-up Juve, who ran out of steam in extra time to leave domestic titles as their only potential silverware this season. It was the Bianconeri who drew first blood with Frenchman Pogba capitalising on a David Alaba mistake to beat Manuel Neuer.
Bayern, who had not let in a first-half goal in their previous seven games in the competition were rattled and keeper Neuer almost gifted Juve another after sending the ball straight to Alvaro Morata, whose looping effort was ruled offside. Spaniard Morata, however, made a 40-metre run past four Bayern players to send Cuadrado through for their second goal. Poland striker Lewandowski then launched the comeback, heading in at the far post for his eighth goal of the campaign in the 73rd minute, triggering a dramatic finale in which Mueller scored in almost identical fashion.
Substitute Thiago put Bayern ahead in extra time and Coman, on loan at Bayern from Juve, completed a memorable comeback as coach Pep Guardiola maintained his hopes of a Champions League title in his last season in Munich. "Football results depend on chances," said Juve keeper Buffon. "They attacked a lot in the second half and they took advantage of their chances. This is a defeat that should make us understand that we are better than last season. We are going out with our heads held high."
