Conte rues costly error as Messi hauls Barcelona level
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte rued the costly error which nullified his otherwise perfectly-crafted plan as Barcelona hit back to net a potentially priceless away goal in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 clash.
The Blues were heading towards a first-leg advantage following Willian’s opener, only for La Liga leaders Barcelona to seize upon Andreas Christensen’s loose pass and Lionel Messi to plunder his first career goal against Chelsea at the ninth attempt.
A draw meant that English teams remain unbeaten in this season’s round of 16, although Messi’s strike has Chelsea’s participation in the competition dangling precariously ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou on 14 March.
“We were very close to the perfect game,” said Conte. “One mistake and we know very well when you make a mistake against Barcelona then players like Messi, [Luis] Suarez, and [Andres] Iniesta will make you pay.
“It’s a pity because I am very proud of my players for the game they played. They followed the plan that we prepared. Our plan was really good. We are talking about 1-1 and maybe we deserved more.”
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile, who was schooled at Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy before returning to the club from Arsenal in 2011, believes Chelsea must adopt a front-foot approach in the second leg.
“We have to go there to attack and score because 90 minutes defending at the Nou Camp is an eternity, it is a suicide mission,” he said. “We have to play our game.”
Chelsea entered the clash unbeaten in their previous seven Champions League tussles with Barcelona and twice came within inches of opening the scoring during a predominantly chess-like first-half.
Barcelona typically enjoyed hefty levels of possession, suffocating Chelsea’s supply line to their attackers, but shortly after the half-hour mark Willian thumped a 25-yard curling effort against Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s post.
Willian rattled Ter Stegen’s other upright before the break as Chelsea broke from their shackles, although an absorbing first period, in which Barcelona’s best chance was a wayward Paulinho header from a Messi cross, ended goalless.
But it proved third time lucky for Willian on 62 minutes as Chelsea worked a corner routine which culminated in the 29-year-old collecting an Eden Hazard pass, shifting the ball out of his feet and bending a low attempt into the bottom corner.
Barcelona levelled with a quarter of an hour remaining as Chelsea dropped their guard for the first time. An errant Christensen pass evaded the slide of Cesar Azpilicueta and Andres Iniesta squared for Messi to sweep past a previously redundant Thibaut Courtois.
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