Barcelona went to Rome leading 4-1 after the first leg of their quarter-final tie, but a 3-0 loss at the Stadio Olimpico condemned the five-time European champions to a defeat on away goals
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wears a dejected look after his team's defeat to Roma in the Chamipons League quarter-final second leg at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Tuesday. Barcelona were knocked out after losing on away goals. Pics/AFP
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Barcelona skipper Andres Iniesta admitted his crushing disappointment after the Catalans were sent packing from the Champions League by Roma in sensational fashion on Tuesday. "It is very painful because nobody expected it with the lead we had," Iniesta said. "When you do things badly, you commit lots of mistakes and we didn't adapt to the game. It is a massive disappointment given the season we had been having."
Roma's Daniele De Rossi celebrates his team's victory over Barcelona after the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday
Barcelona went to Rome leading 4-1 after the first leg of their quarter-final tie, but a 3-0 loss at the Stadio Olimpico condemned the five-time European champions to a defeat on away goals. It is their third consecutive exit from the competition in the last eight. "We always try to give the maximum but we are knocked out and now feel everyone's pain. We had high hopes this season and it has escaped us again," Iniesta, 33, added, who also acknowledged that the game could have been his last in the competition for Barca amid uncertainty about his future beyond this season.
Andres Iniesta
Barcelona fell behind to an Edin Dzeko goal inside six minutes with Daniele De Rossi netting a 58th-minute penalty before Kostas Manolas headed in the crucial goal eight minutes from the end. The defeat came with Barca currently on course to win La Liga and with a Copa del Rey final against Sevilla approaching later this month. They are unbeaten in La Liga and had only previously lost once all season, to Espanyol in the Copa del Rey. "I would be lying if I told you we can take something positive from this," midfielder Sergio Busquets said. "It is a very sad way to fall after the result we had. They were superior to us in all aspects."
One - No. of times Barcelona have been eliminated in the knockout stage in Europe after winning by at least three goals in the first leg
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