Barcelona stayed on track for a sixth consecutive Champions League semifinal appearance despite conceding a last-gasp goal by Blaise Matuidi in a pulsating 2-2 first-leg draw at Paris St Germain on Tuesday.
The 2009 and 2011 champions went in front seven minutes before halftime when Dani Alves produced an exquisite pass with the outside of his right boot straight into the path of Lionel Messi who drove the ball in with his left foot from an acute angle.
World Player of the Year Messi then sustained a hamstring injury and was replaced by Cesc Fabregas at halftime.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave PSG a lifeline when he scrambled in the equaliser, even though he looked offside before a soaring header from Thiago Silva rebounded to the Sweden striker off the post in the 79th minute.
Xavi calmly restored title favourites Barca's advantage from the penalty spot after goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu rushed off his line in the 89th minute and brought down Alexis Sanchez.
Matuidi then struck with the last kick of the game when his long-range shot eluded the outstretched fingers of keeper Victor Valdes. "The referee (German Wolfgang Stark) made some questionable calls," Barca assistant coach Jordi Roura told reporters after the quarterfinal tie.
"It's a good result but it comes at a high price," Roura added, referring to the injuries sustained by Messi and defender Javier Mascherano.
Argentine Mascherano will be out for six weeks after he was carried off on a stretcher with knee ligament damage in the 84th minute. Midfielder Matuidi was booked and will miss the second leg at the Nou Camp on April 10 through suspension.
David Beckham became the first British player to appear for four different clubs in the Champions League when he was named in PSG's starting lineup. The former England captain did well in midfield before being taken off midway through the second half. "I think we deserved a draw tonight," said Beckham. "There's no reason why we can't go there and get a result.”
Bayern win
Bayern Munich tore Juventus apart on a rare off night for Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon but had to settle for a 2-0 win after missing a hatful of chances in their quarterfinal first-leg match.
Italy World Cup winners Pirlo and Buffon were both at fault as David Alaba put hosts Bayern ahead inside 30 seconds, a goal which set the tone of the first half as the Bavarians, who hit nine past Hamburg SV on Saturday, exposed the Juve defence.
Goalkeeper Buffon should also have done better with Luiz Gustavo's shot in the run-up to Thomas Mueller's second goal just after the hour in the meeting of the German and Italian league leaders.
Twice European champions and five-times runners-up Juventus were back in the quarter-finals after a seven-year absence. Juventus had won their last five games in the competition without conceding a goal but that record quickly fell.
Midfielder Pirlo's attempted pass out of defence went straight to Bastian Schweinsteiger who found Alaba and the Austrian's slight deflected shot from distance caught Buffon off his guard and out of position.
Bayern never let Juventus settle in midfield, forcing them to repeatedly lose possession with the usually unflappable Pirlo one of the main culprits.
It was arguably the first time any team have dominated Juventus to such an extent since Conte took over as coach at the start of last season, leading them to the Serie A title unbeaten at the first attempt.
Robben had a shot blocked at close range by Buffon, side-footed wide from close range with another chance while Juventus were also let off when crosses by Ribery and Alaba flashed across the face of their area without finding a finishing touch. Alaba nearly caught Buffon off-guard with another long-range shot in the second half and Juve's resistance was broken again in the 63rd minute. Buffon parried Luiz Gustavo's long-range shot to Mandzukic who rolled it for Mueller to tap into an empty net. Once again, it seemed the goalkeeper should have done better.
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