AC Milan Vs. Barcelona, 2012 UEFA Champions League: Dani Alves Misses Barcelona’s 1st Chance

Not so much with the free kick then. Lionel Messi had done brilliantly to earn a foul just outside Christian Abbiati's box, weaving through three defenders before Alessandro Nesta brought him down with a nasty little foul, but his delivery left something to be desired, starting with not falling over. The ball ends up flying through the AC Milan anyway, leaving Seydou Keita to try to nod home in acrobatic and ultimately futile fashion, but he was offside anyway so no worries there.

There's better from Barcelona's perspective on the next real attack. Milan's defence gets confused when Xavi pushes forward into the box, and the Spain star lays the ball off to Messi, whose fairly tame shot is spilled by Abbiati. Right back Dani Alves is onto the loose ball in a flash, but somehow he fails to turn the ball into an empty net. Both sides probably ought to have scored already - this is a very very open match.