Ghana 2-0 Barcelona

Published on: 21 February 2013

AC Milan 2-0 Barcelona: Goal Videos

AC Milan 1-0 Barcelona (Boateng) - 57'

Kevin Prince Boateng opened the scoring for Milan against Barcelona with a quick and precise shot, drilled into the goal following a deflection from a free kick.

AC Milan 2-0 Barcelona (Muntari) - 81'

Sully Muntari doubled the lead with a precise volley following a perfect cross as Valdes scrambled to tip it around the post.

AC Milan 2-0 Barcelona - Ghana stars give Milan healthy advantage

AC Milan secured a two goal first leg advantage over Barcelona thanks to goals from Kevin Prince Boateng and Sully Muntari at the San Siro, a feat that will do no harm to their shirts sales numbers at online retailers like Discountfootballkits.

Milan went into the game as the heavy underdogs and looking to make up for their inconsistent performances during the group stage. For Barcelona it was all about staying in the tie.

AC Milan were on the back foot for most of the match as Barcelona had 67 per cent of possession during the match but the two Ghana stars struck in the second-half to give Milan the advantage.

Boateng struck to give Milan the lead in the 57th minute as he turned and fired home from close range following a free kick and Muntari doubled the advantage in the 81st minute with a close range volley back across goal.

Boateng pounced when a free kick from roughly 30 yards out was deflected into his path and he made no mistake with quick movement and a great shot. Muntari placed his precise volley beyond the reach of Victor Valdes following a precise cross from Stephan El Shaarawy.

Barcelona kept the ball well but chances for the Spanish giants were few and far between as Andres Iniesta fired a long range shot just wide of the post and Carles Puyol sent two headers wide from set pieces. Barcelona now face a tough task in staying in the Champions League after being labeled as favourites at the start of the season.

Milan were at their tactical best getting all 11 players behind the ball at times which made it impossible for Barcelona to break through. Key players such as Lionel Messi drifted out wide but Milan doubled up in these areas effectively.

Milan were helped by the superb discipline of their central defenders, alongside the pace of Boateng and Muntari on the counter attack which allowed the Italian side to switch from defence to attack in no time at all.

There were no clear cut chances for the away team in the first half as they looked to cut through the heart of this Milan side. Each time a key Barcelona player found space, they were shut down and pressed.

Stephan El Shaarawy had the best chance of the first half which was set up by a clever touch from Boateng. However, the Milan striker’s touch was too heavy which saw the ball run out of play as he looked to get in behind Puyol.

Boateng also had a decent first half chance from a drilled corner. The ball was pinged in flat and Boateng broke to the near post but couldn’t divert the ball on target which would have tested out Victor Valdes.

It gives Milan a healthy advantage going into the second leg at the Nou Camp which is likely to be more of the same in terms of possession domination from the Spaniards and the Italian team playing on the counter attack.

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