Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's second-half strike gave Barcelona a vital away goal
Tuesday, 23, Feb 2010 09:36
By Matt Hallam.
Reigning European champions Barcelona had to come from behind to secure a draw in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League match against Stuttgart.
Pep Guardiola's side were far from their free-flowing best for much of the game and found themselves behind after 20 minutes when Cacau headed past Victor Valdes.
Barcelona were forced to hold on as Stuttgart continued to attack in the first half but managed to equalise against the run of play in the second through Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The goal saw Barcelona regain control for the remainder of the match but they were unable to find a winning goal, leaving Stuttgart with an excellent result to take to the Nou Camp for the second leg.
Barcelona began in trademark style by dominating early possession with Gerard Pique and Xavi both looking to release Lionel Messi with diagonal cross-field passes.
Stuttgart looked dangerous on the break though and created the best chance of the opening stages when Cristian Molinaro played the ball into Cacau who was allowed to turn in the penalty area. The Brazilian-born striker - who scored four goals at the weekend - mishit his shot though, allowing Pique to clear.
The home side began to grow in confidence as Barcelona's passing deteriorated and took a deserved lead when Timo Gebhart whipped in a cross from the right that Cacau headed powerfully past Valdes.
Stuttgart continued to attack the struggling European champions and came close to doubling their lea with Valdes saving a shot from Cacau before Christian Trasch hit a shot wide after good work from Alexander Hleb - on loan to the German club from Barcelona.
Jens Lehman barely had a save to make in the opening 40 minutes but was called into action just before half-time when he palmed Messi's shot onto the post before gathering the ball.
Stuttgart still managed to threaten their visitors before the break though with Pavel Pogrebnyak forcing Valdes into a save with a shot from a tight angle before Pique cut out Molinaro's cross with the Russian striker waiting in the six-yard box.
Barcelona started the second half in a more positive fashion but their attacks were snuffed out quickly by Stuttgart's defence.
The Spanish champions soon equalised when Pique nodded down a long ball to Ibrahimovic in the penalty area. Lehman made a great point blank save to keep the Swedish striker's first effort out but he could only parry the ball straight back to Ibrahimovic who side-footed the ball into the net.
The goal saw Barcelona take charge of the match momentarily but Stuttgart did well to recover their composure with Hleb sending in a cross for Sami Khedira who fired his shot wide.
Lehman almost gifted Barcelona a second goal when he completely missed Messi's corner. The ball fell to Ibrahimovic who turned and sent a shot towards goal that was cleared off the line - with replays showing the ball had deflected off Molinaro's arm.
Barcelona dominated the closing stages of the match as Stuttgart tired, but they were unable to find a way past the German side's stubborn defence for a second time and will head into the second leg knowing a much improved performance is required.