LYON, France (AP) - On a scoreless night in the Champions League, not even Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez could find a way to get a goal.
Barcelona’s attacking stars were held in check by Lyon on Tuesday in a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, leaving the French side’s hopes of causing a big upset very much alive.
Messi failed to add to his six goals so far in the competition, while Suarez had the goal gaping but sliced a shot wide with 20 minutes left after latching on to Jordi Alba’s pass from the left.
When wasteful Barca did hit the target, Lyon’s goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was in fine form.
Containing the five-time champion in the return leg on March 13 may prove far harder for Lopes and his defense if Messi and Suarez are back to their best. However, coach Ernesto Valverde warned not to underestimate a Lyon side which won at Premier League champion Manchester City and was unbeaten in the group stage.
“We are strong at home but there’s no denying that 0-0 away from home is a dangerous result,” Valverde said. “My feeling is that we played well, we were switched on. I think that we deserved a better result and did enough to win. It just wasn’t our night.”
In Tuesday night’s other game, Liverpool and Bayern Munich drew 0-0 in a match between five-time champions.
When Messi picked out Sergio Busquets five minutes from the end, the midfielder’s rasping shot from the edge of the penalty area was expertly tipped over by Lopes - the French league’s standout goalie this season.
“Lyon played well but their keeper was very good,” Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet said.
Messi had the goal in his sights in the last minute, but struck his free kick into the wall and did the same with the rebound.
Both goalkeepers did well, with Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen making two fine saves inside the first 10 minutes from midfielder Houssem Aouar and forward Martin Terrier.
Although Lyon spent much of the half chasing Barcelona’s slick midfielders, Barca’s approach play too often broke down around the penalty area. Suarez was the biggest culprit, wasting several promising moves with unusually hurried passes.
Lyon coach Bruno Genesio acknowledged his side got off somewhat lightly.
“We gave them the ball back too quickly and that meant we were on the receiving end of wave after wave of attacks,” Genesio said. “We conceded too many opportunities for my liking in the second half.”
Barcelona also looked vulnerable at times.
Lyon almost scored after five minutes when Aouar showed great technique to receive a pass on the edge of the area, neatly make space and shoot low to the right. Ter Stegen got down well to push his shot away and moments later made an even better save to tip Terrier’s powerful shot one-handed onto the crossbar.
As usual, Messi was elusive to mark and often found good positions.
But he had a largely frustrating first half, failing to test Lopes with a free kick and two shots. When his trickery did work, notably with an excellent scooped pass over the defense in the 39th, the disappointing Ousmane Dembele fluffed his shot.
Terrier shot wide seconds before the break and Depay finally got involved when he curled a shot wide in the 52nd.
A tactical switch from Genesio saw Memphis Depay moved wide left, with Terrier through the middle and Dembele on the right.
It gave Lyon greater mobility but made it at risk from a swift Barcelona counterattack. On one of those, Suarez finally found some room to turn in the penalty area, but impressive defender Leo Dubois nipped in to block his shot.
After Messi had an angled drive comfortably parried by Lopes, Valverde brought on Philippe Coutinho for Dembele.
Barcelona’s players finished the match with a greater sense of urgency as they hunted a valuable away goal.
Lopes cut out a dangerous Alba cross, saved from Coutinho and narrowed the angle when Messi ran onto Suarez’s pass.
“The result is fine for us; we still have a chance to progress even if we know it will be tough,” Dubois said. “We have the ability to go far.”
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