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Rediff.com  » Sports » Barcelona, Arsenal seal semi-final berths

Barcelona, Arsenal seal semi-final berths

April 06, 2006 02:43 IST
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Champions League quarter-finals (2nd leg)

Barcelona 2 Benfica 0 (First leg: 0-0)
Arsenal 0 Juventus 0 (First leg: 2-0)

Goals from Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o earned Barcelona a nervy 2-0 victory at home to Benfica on Wednesday that set up a mouth-watering Champions League semi-final showdown against AC Milan.

World Player of the Year Ronaldinho atoned for an earlier missed penalty when he steered home midway through the first half and Eto'o secured the victory when he smashed into the roof of the net two minutes before the final whistle.

The goals secured the Catalans a 2-0 aggregate win and allowed them to book a place in the last four for the third time in seven seasons where they will be joined by fellow Primera Liga side Villarreal, who beat Inter Milan on Tuesday.

Barca looked edgy throughout, but Benfica failed to take advantage and wasted their best chance of the match when Simao Sabrosa lashed wide with the goal at his mercy on the hour.

Arsenal through on 2-0 aggregate

Arsenal moved into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time after a gritty 0-0 draw at Juventus in another second leg quarter-final, for a 2-0 aggregate triumph.

After the English club's win in the first leg at Highbury, Juve knew they needed to produce a top-draw performance but failed to cause the London side any real alarms.

A volley just wide from Gianluca Zambrotta in the 15th minute and a fierce strike from Pavel Nedved in the 70th minute were the best the Italian champions could muster against a composed Arsenal defence.

Nedved's frustration led to him being sent off, for a second yellow card, after a late challenge on Emmanuel Eboue in the 77th minute.

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Source: REUTERS
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