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Barcelona posts win


  • Chelsea played a man down for 53 minutes after Asier del Horno was sent off
  • Werder Bremen wins a humdinger

    LONDON: Barcelona rallied to beat 10-man Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

    A header by Samuel Eto'o in the 80th minute secured the round of 16, first leg win for Barca at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea played a man down for 53 minutes after defender Asier del Horno was sent off for a body-check on Lionel Messi.

    ``This is only halftime — we have to keep on our toes and do to the business at home,'' Barcelona's substitute forward Henrik Larsson said. ``You have to be patient playing against 10 men, but we stayed calm and tried to come around the sides. But we kept out heads and tried to play our way.''

    Juventus upset

    In Germany, Werder Bremen upset Juventus 3-2 with an injury-time goal from Johan Micoud.

    The other two matches ended in 2-2 draws — Ajax squandered a 2-0 lead at home to Inter Milan, and Villarreal conceded an 82nd-minute own-goal at Rangers.

    Chelsea went ahead in the 59th minute when Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta kneed Frank Lampard's free kick past his own goalkeeper.

    Barcelona equalized in the 71st when a free kick from Ronaldinho flicked off Chelsea captain John Terry's head into his own net.

    Eto'o headed the winner when he out-jumped Ricardo Carvahlo to meet a left-wing cross from Rafael Marquez on a counterattack.

    Mourinho disagrees

    ``I'm very, very proud of my players, very proud them,'' said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who disagreed with the red card. ``I think in difficult circumstances they played very well, with a lot of heart.''

    Chelsea beat Barcelona 4-2 at Stamford Bridge to win 5-4 on aggregate in last year's competition.

    In Bremen, the German club scored in the 39th minute through Christian Schulz, who scored from a rebound off Miroslav Klose.

    Pavel Nedved pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute and David Trezeguet put Juve ahead in the 82nd. Tim Borowski levelled in the 87th, before Micoud's late winner.

    ``I think this was a dreamlike performance by our team,'' Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said. ``There was constant movement by us, something was always going on out there.''

    Juventus is unbeaten in 16 matches to lead the Serie A. Bremen, nine points behind German league leader Bayern Munich, has never reached the Champions League quarterfinals.

    In Amsterdam, Klaas Jan Huntelaar headed in a cross from Mauro Rosales to give Ajax the lead in the 16th minute. The 22-year-old, who was making his Champions League debut, is the Dutch league's top-scorer and netted four in Ajax's 6-0 win over RBC Roosendaal on Sunday.

    Rosales made it 2-0 in the 20th minute on a cross by Urby Emanuelson. Inter pulled one back through Dejan Stankovic, whose shot deflected in off two Ajax defenders.

    And Julio Ricardo Cruz then levelled from close range in the 86th on a cross from Matias Cambiasso.

    The second leg ties are on March 7-8.

    The results (first leg): Barcelona bt Chelsea 2-1; Werder Bremen bt Juventus 3-2; Ajax drew with Inter Milan 2-2; Villarreal drew with Glasgow Rangers 2-2. — Agencies

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