Don’t let the 4-1 scoreline fool you. This was not majestic Barcelona brushing aside Roma en-route to the semi-finals. They were shoddy at times, fortunate throughout, but still too good for a Roma side out of place in the last eight of the Champions League.
The first two goals in the win were scored by Roma players and the third came after Alisson Becker failed to hold a shot.
First Daniele De Rossi fired past Alisson. Kostas Manolas then got his name on the scoresheet bundling the ball in after a scramble with Samuel Umtiti who claimed the goal before some very deliberate badge pointing in his celebration.
Luis Suarez celebrates killing the game off with his first goal in the Champions League for more than a year on 87 minutes
Gerard Pique toasts his goal which effectively ended the quarter-final as a contest just before the hour mark of the first leg
Samuel Umtiti leads the celebrations as the centre back attempted to claim Kostas Manolas’ own goal as his own
Barcelona players celebrate after Daniele De Rossi’s own goal put them 1-0 up with seven minutes remaining in the first half
MATCH STATS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE
Barcelona (4-4-2): ter Stegen 7; Semedo 6, Umtiti 6, Pique 7, Alba 6; Sergio Roberto 6 (Andre Gomes 83), Rakitic 7, Busquets 6 (Paulinho 66), Iniesta 6 (Denis Suarez 84); Suarez 7, Messi 7
Goals: De Rossi OG 38, Manolas OG 56, Pique 59, Suarez 87
Subs not used: Cillessen, Dembele, Alcacer, Vermaelen
Roma (4-3-3): Alisson 6; Peres 6, Fazio 6, Manolas 6, Kolarov 6; Strootman 6, De Rossi 6 (Defrel 77), Pellegrini 6 (Gonalons 61); Florenzi 6 (El Shaarawy 72), Dzeko 7, Perotti 6
Goal: Dzeko 79
Booking: Kolarov
Subs not used: Skorupski, Jesus,, Gerson, Schick
Daniele De Rossi put through his own net to give Barcelona the lead. For more visit Sportsmail’s brilliant MATCH ZONE
Lionel Messi was handed with a commemorative plaque to celebrate him reaching 100 Champions League goals last time out
The Argentine got a hug from his former team-mate Carles Puyol after he was presented with his plaque before the crowd
One Barcelona supporter declares his love for Andres Iniesta, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and the club in the Nou Camp stands
Gerard Pique got the third from a rebound after Alisson pushed out Luis Suarez’s shot.
Roma then got their away goal. Perotti crossed from the left and Edin Dzeko got between Barcelona defenders to steer the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
But with his first goal for over a year in the Champions League, Suarez made it 4-1. The result will be enough to see them through save a remarkable turnaround in next week’s second leg, but they will need to find another gear to win the competition.
They started slowly although Suarez buried Andres Iniesta’s pass only to be flagged offside.
For Roma former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko went down under Nelson Semedo’s challenge from behind but referee Danny Makkelie waved away appeals despite Semedo’s knee making contact with Dzeko.
Messi looks to get the better of Manolas during the opening stages of the Champions League quarter-final first leg
Suarez had the ball in the net for Barcelona but his effort after six minutes was correctly disallowed for offside by the linesman
Messi fired an early effort on goal but his powerful strike was saved comfortably by Roma’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson
Messi then tested Alisson with a long shot. When it was saved Barcelona players were slow to the rebound. The atmosphere was flat and it was reflected on the pitch.
Ivan Rakitic’s long diagonal shot came back off the post and finally the noise levels lifted although it had more to do with a yellow balloon protest for the freeing of political prisoners awaiting trial for their part in last year’s illegal referendum on Independence, than the game itself.
Messi tried to dribble through Roma’s well-organized defence but he was isolated. When he finally did get free he released Suarez. The forward went for the far corner and Alisson made a good save.
Roma were doing what so many teams who prosper against Barcelona do parking the defence deep, centrally, and on the edge of the penalty area. But on 38 minutes those massed ranks were breached. They had smothered Messi so well but in an attempt to prevent the ball reaching him it ended up in the back of the net.
Edin Dzeko went to ground in the penalty area under the slightest of touches from Barcelona right back Jose Semedo
The Bosnian looked to the referee for a penalty but his appeals were waved away after he went to ground far too easily
Barcelona supporters released yellow balloons in the stands to semand freedom for imprisoned Catalan separatist leaders
Aleksandar Kolarov attempts to control the ball on his thigh under pressure from Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto
Messi attempts to shake off the attentions of Kevin Strootman (right), Alessandro Florenzi (centre) and Diego Perotti (right)
Iniesta played the pass and just before it reached Messi, De Rossi’s right boot sent it flying past the Roma keeper.
It was harsh on Roma and that were nearly given the immediate chance to get level when Umtiti – a shadow of his early season form before he was being talked up as a Manchester United target – went diving in at Lorenzo Pellegrini’s feet.
The desperate challenge’s only merit was that it was outside the area, just. Pellegrini put the free-kick into the wall and Roma went off at half-time with a 1-0 reverse they felt they had not deserved.
Any team fortunate enough to face Barcelona when they are off their game needs to take its chances and that was one thing Roma were guilty of.
Umtiti rises highest to clear before the ball reaches Dzeko with Lorenzo Pellegrini watching the action from the turf
De Rossi stretches and inadvertantly puts through his own net after trying to prevent Andres Iniesta’s pass from finding Messi
Messi and his Barcelona team-mates march back to the centre spot after De Rossi’s unfortunate own goal gave them the lead
De Rossi (left) watches as Messi throws the ball back to the centre spot following the Italian’s own goal on 38 minutes
With their first attack of the second half Diego Perotti had a free header at the back post but inexplicably he sent the ball wide of Marc Andre ter Stegen’s left-hand upright.
When Barcelona’s second goal came there was another huge slice of luck. Rakitic crossed from the right and Manolas got to the ball before Umtiti.
First he hammered it on to his own post. It was so nearly a spectacular own goal. Then it was an own goal. The ball came back out and hit the Greek defender before crossing the line for 2-0.
Umtiti claimed the goal and ran to the nearest camera to grab a fistful of his own Barcelona shirt and point to the club badge.
Perotti reacts after missing a brilliant chance to equalise as Roma continued to impress after going 1-0 down to Barcelona
Pique slides in to deny Kolarov as Barcelona were put under pressure by Eusebio Di Francesco’s side in the second half
Umtiti’s effort from Rakitic’s cross was diverted into his own net by Roma’s Manolas for the second own goal of the game
Umtiti accepts the plaudits from Semedo (left) and Roberto (right) after the own goal put Barcelona 2-0 up in the first leg
It was an animated celebration considering he had not touched the ball, but it fitted the narrative of him wanting a new contract from the club while last week sowing the seeds of doubt over whether he would renew with the club.
With one centre-back almost scoring, the other was soon officially on the scoresheet. Suarez showed a cool head in the area pausing before shooting and although Alisson made the save he failed to hold the shot and as it rolled back out, Pique was on hand to finish and make it 3-0.
Dzeko gave travelling Roma fans some hope by exposing Barcelona’s defensive weakness to make it 3-1 but Suarez opened the winning margin up again and Ernesto Valverde’s side are surely through to the semi-finals.
Pique tucked home from the rebound after Suarez’s effort was saved by Alisson before wheeling away in celebration
Pique gestures to the Nou Camp crowd after his goal saw Barcelona take a commanding lead despite a below-par display
The long-serving centre back laps up the adulation of the Barcelona supporters as Catalan flags wave in the stands behind
Dzeko retrieves the ball from the net after his goal gave them a glimmer of hope with 11 minutes remaining in the first leg
Suarez jumps for joy after making it 4-1 to Barcelona as the striker restored their three-goal lead three minutes from time