Arsenal came back from 2-0 down to take the game to Barcelona in the Nou Camp.

It was a perfect game as both teams shared the same approach- playing beautiful football to win.

Arsenal’s display of tenacity for this game is the epitome of good sportsmanship. Even though they were 2 goals down, the club still put up a fierce fight worth remembering.

On the other hand, Barcelona never got complacent despite their lead in the game.

Arsenal welcomed back their former star striker, Thierry Henry. The former Arsenal hit man started on the bench for the Blaugrana team as Pep Guordiola opted with the young Pedro to start in his place.

Unfortunately, it was a tactical mistake made by the Barcelona coach to substitute Henry for Ibrahimovic, as the reason to send the former Arsenal striker on was more sentimental than rational. He failed to make any impact on the game.

However, it was obvious that it was a game of boys going up against men.

Barcelona dominated the first 15 minutes of the game. Sadly, they couldn’t convert any of the chances into goals. Fortunately for Arsenal, they have the heroics of their much-maligned goalkeeper, Almunia, to thank for keeping them in the game.

Due to over-reliance on last minute interceptions and dodgy defending, Arsenal suffered 2 injuries when Ashavin limped off the field and Gallas got carried off on a stretcher.

Arsene Wenger was right not to bring 35-year-old Campbell in after Gallas left the field.  Although his age equates to years of experience, it also means that he couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game, especially with Barcelona’s high-tempo playing.

Striker Bendtner could have given Arsenal the lead but Valdes saved his effort before hitting the post in the second attempt. The referee blew the whistle after the assistant referee flagged for offside against the Dane.

It was weird how the game could still remain goalless at half time when both teams had glorious chances in front of goal.

Almunia quickly turned from hero to zero in the first min of the second half when his poor decision to rush for the ball backfired as Ibrahimovic lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper’s head.

Arsenal were then given more misery as their captain Fabregas picked up a booking, which will rule him out of the second leg next week.

Bendtner and Xavi both had chances to score with well-calculated headers on both sides of the field. Eventually, it was Ibrahimovic who doubled Barcelona’s lead by rifling his shot at the top right hand corner, leaving Almunia with no chance at all to save the attempt.

The tie seemed to have swung in Barcelona’s favour but Arsene Wenger played his cards right by bringing on Theo Walcott. The winger made his presence felt immediately and turned the tide in Arsenal’s favour upon his introduction.

He scored the goal that gave Arsenal second wind and from then, the team had the impetus to attack.

Henry came on for Ibrahimovic with 14 minutes.

The former hero of Arsenal, was given his chance to revel in the atmosphere on the 76th minute and the home fans gave him the welcome reception he deserved although they playfully boo-ed him everytime he touched the ball.

However, it was team captain Fabregas who had the last say in the game.

Puyol saw red in the penalty box when Fabregas scored the penalty that sent Arsenal fans into a frenzied cheering crowd.

It will be interesting to see how their next game will play out with the absences of team captain Fabregas, playmaker Arshavin and defender Gallas.

Barcelona has its own problems to worry about as centre backs Puyol and Pique will be missing the game through suspension when they picked up a red and yellow card respectively.

Stay tuned to The UrbanWire to find out how Arsene Wenger will cover the holes left by 3 experienced players in the upcoming match against the Barcelona, the current titleholders of the Spanish La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Club World Club winners.