Barcelona secure knock-out qualification against Panathinaikos
Spanish champions Barcelona booked their place in the Champions League's round of 16 on Wednesday 24 November, handing Greek side Panathinaikos a resounding 3–0 defeat.
A brace from Pedro Rodriguez and a second-half goal from Lionel Messi was enough to earn the largely superior away team a victory in Greece.
Barcelona are now secure at the top of Group D after FC Copenhagen lost 1–0 to Rubin Kazan, allowing Pep Guardiola's team to focus fully on their El Clasico encounter with Real Madrid on Monday 29 November.
"Of course this gives us a boost for that match," Guardiola said after the game, eyeing not only the derby but also his team's away trip to Osasuna on 4 December. "The next two matches will be physically demanding, so this result is a relief
for us."
Barcelona overcome early nerves
The visitors got away with a scare early on when Gerard Pique and Victor Valdes could not agree on who would take the loose ball before the latter put safety first and cleared the ball to a corner.
In the 20th minute, former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse pounced on Pique's poor positioning to dodge the offside and find himself alone with Valdes, but the Spanish keeper managed to block.
Barcelona were put in front after Pedro combined delightfully with Daniel Alves, the latter playing a deft ball into the area for the Spaniard to strike low into the far corner.
Barcelona's David Villa then produced two moments of brilliance, playing through Pedro to no avail before curling a shot on the follow-up that the Alexandros Tzorvas had to stretch to save.
Iniesta pulls the strings after the break
The Catalans stepped up the pace just enough after the break. First, it was defender Adriano who, from his temporary role in midfield, tested Tzorvas with a long-range shot in the 54th minute.
After the hour mark, Adriano rushed down the left flank, latching onto Andres Iniesta's ball to cross for Messi, who finished first-time to score his eighth European goal this season.
Alves then showed what he has learned from fellow Brazilian Ronaldinho, chipping a pass without looking towards Iniesta, creator of another goal as he cut the ball back for Pedro to complete his brace with a low strike.
Barcelona now lead Copenhagen by an unassailable four points after five games, while Kazan are third with six points and Panathinaikos are fourth with two draws ahead of the final match day of the group stage.
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