Arsenal rally to shock Barcelona 2-1

LONDON (AP):

Arsenal rallied in the second half to beat Spanish giant Barcelona 2-1 in a thrilling first-leg match in the last 16 of the Champions League; and three Brazilians scored for Shakhtar Donetsk in their 3-2 victory in Roma.

Russia captain Andrey Arshavin came off the bench and capped a flowing length-of-the-field move with the winner for Arsenal in the 83rd minute of a gripping game at Emirates Stadium.

Netherlands forward Robin van Persie's 78th-minute volley had cancelled out David Villa's first-half opener for Barcelona, who will still be held by many as the favourites ahead of the second leg on March 8.

"The game promised a lot and it fulfilled that expectation," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "It was a special night. We kept resilient and strong. I am very proud of my team."

Disappointing NIGHT

Shakhtar trio Jadson, Douglas Costa and Luiz Adriano scored in the space of 13 minutes at the end of the first half to cancel out Simone Perotta's opener for Roma in the Italian capital.

France forward Jeremy Menez's second-half goal gave Roma some hope, but it was another disappointing Champions League night for Italy, with Serie A leader AC Milan losing 1-0 to Tottenham at the San Siro on Tuesday.

"We are a good team and we played well," Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said.

The Arsenal-Barcelona match, featuring two of the most pleasing-on-the-eye teams in European football, lived up to its pre-game billing.

Just like last season's quarter-final first leg between the two sides at the Emirates, which finished 2-2, the Spanish champions grabbed a precious away goal and were a class above the hosts in the first half. The passing of midfield triumvirate of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets was often sublime.

But the match turned after Villa was substituted in the 68th and Arsenal's two late goals put them in the driver's seat to make the quarter-finals.