Maybe Barcelona isn't the invincible powerhouse they once appeared to be? Pato did his best to knock the Catalans off their perch, scoring just 23 seconds into the match to put AC Milan in front, but Barcelona still has Lionel Messi. The world's best player answered Pato's goal, not by scoring himself, but by tearing apart the Milan defense and leaving Pedro Rodriguez with the easiest of finishes to level the match.
Barcelona Vs. AC Milan, 2011 Champions League: Halftime, Messi Answers Pato’s Goal
There wasn’t anything fancy about Pato’s goal. It was simply a matter of Pato deciding that while Barcelona watched, he was going to run faster than anyone else on the field. Starting in the midfield circle, Pato just took off and outran the entire Barcelona team. That left him alone on goal for an easy finish and a 1-0 Milan lead.
Pato’s goal was the high point for Milan as Barcelona began to grab a hold of the match not long after going down. They managed to stay ahead for 35 minutes though, but that’s when Messi did what Messi does. He gathered the ball at the top of the box, dribbled a little left, then turned towards the goal, brilliantly dancing his way through a couple and out-running another defender before crossing for Pedro. The ball was right on Pedro’s foot and a mere two yards from an empty goal for an tap-in to equalize.
Both teams have suffered injury setbacks that have forced substitutions. For Milan, Kevin-Prince Boateng was taken off with no apparent injury, but he was nursing a shoulder injury from the weekend. Andres Iniesta was the man who went off for Barcelona when he pulled up limping, but having to bring Cesc Fabregas isn't something that's going to earn any team a lot of sympathy.
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