Barcelona Cruise to 2-0 Win over Sporting in UEFA Champions League

Barcelona and Sporting served up a drab affair during Tuesday's UEFA Champions League action, and the Blaugrana won 2-0 thanks to a goal from Paco Alcacer and an own goal from former player Jeremy Mathieu.

Alcacer nodded home after 60 minutes, and Mathieu put the ball into his own net late on. The Blaugrana had already qualified for the next round, while Sporting were eliminated as a result of the loss.

Here's a look at the teams:

The hosts started out with plenty of attacking intention, pushing forward early. Former Blaugrana Mathieu almost gifted his old club a huge chance with a dreadful pass, but Alcacer couldn't pull the trigger in time.

Cristiano Piccini made a sensational last-second clearance to deny Alcacer, who was involved early, and Bruno Fernandes fired Sporting's first shot on target into the waiting hands of Jasper Cillessen.

Andre Gomes' aim wasn't as good, as he pulled a shot wide, and the former Valencia man went close again minutes later. Meanwhile, there were some physical confrontations going on in midfield:

Rui Patricio made an excellent save to deny Luis Suarez, getting down quickly after Barcelona used a clever free-kick to open up the defence. Alan Ruiz ran into a silly booking after a foul on Gerard Pique and Nelson Semedo followed him soon after, costing his team dearly, per ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden:

Cillessen made another routine save on Bruno Fernandes, and the hosts kept control of proceedings to end the half, with the score the same as at the start of the contest.

Per Marsden, the fans who didn't show up for Tuesday's clash likely didn't regret it:

Sporting needed to win to have any chance of advancing to the knockout stages and went on the offensive to start the second half. Gelson Martins was on the end of a nice attack but couldn't find the target, and substitute Bas Dost just fell short of a sharp cross.

The match desperately needed a goal to liven up, and it was Alcacer who finally broke the deadlock just before the hour mark. The Spaniard rose highest to nod home a cross.

Blogger Rafael Hernandez has been impressed with his play of late:

Both teams made changes after the goal, with Lionel Messi entering the fray. Sporting were desperate for goals, but Cillessen made a superb save to deny Dost a quick equaliser.

Patricio intervened when Suarez tried to pick out Alcacer, and both the Uruguayan and Messi went close with the stopper saving his team both times. Barcelona easily controlled proceedings toward the end of the contest, but their push for a second goal didn't yield any results until the very end.

Dost missed with a volley before Mathieu put the ball in his own net in the final minutes, putting the final score on the board.