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Stuttgart holds Barcelona to draw

Tue 23rd, February 2010

Stuttgart, Germany (Sports Network) - Cacau followed his four-goal performance over the weekend with another goal against Barcelona, helping Stuttgart earn a shocking 1-1 tie in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 series at Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion on Tuesday.

Cacau scored four times in a 5-1 win over Koln in the Bundesliga on Saturday, and shocked Barcelona with the opener in the 25th minute.

Lionel Messi hit the post late in the first half and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored early in the second for Barca, which was denied another goal when Stuttgart's Cristian Molinaro deflected the ball of the line with his arm.

Bordeaux opened its Round of 16 match against Olympiacos with a 1-0 victory in Greece in Tuesday's other series opener.

Barcelona seemed comfortable in the opening 10 minutes, but its only looks at goal where when Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic drove into the area on two occasions without even getting a shot off.

Stuttgart managed the first good scoring opportunity in the 13th when Molinaro found Cacau on the left side of the area. Cacau had space, but didn't settle the ball in time, and could only manage a weak shot that was deflected.

The German side settled in against the heavily-favored Spanish champions after its first chance, and Cacau broke through in the 25th.

Timo Gebhart accepted a pass across the top of the 18 on the right side and he swung a cross over six Barcelona players, including a leaping Carles Puyol at the far post, to find Cacau.

Cacau headed powerfully back to the center of the goal, and his shot went just by outstretched left arm of Barca goalie Victor Valdes and into the net.

Barcelona got a break four minutes later when Stuttgart's Pavel Pogrebnyak hit a cross from the right that Gerard Pique deflected with his arm. Stuttgart was quick to ask for a penalty but referee Bjorn Kuipers ruled it was inadvertent.

Cacau was played through again in the 32nd, this time he tried to drop a pass to the middle, where Pique was able to clear. Cacau followed with yet another chance in the 33rd, but his hard shot was deflected by Valdes.

Former Barca midfielder Alexander Hleb created the next chance for Stuttgart, but his hustle down the left to win the ball and send a cross into the box was wasted when Christian Trasch fired wide right in the 36th.

Stuttgart tried to hand Barcelona its first scoring chance in the 38th when it turned the ball over to Messi just outside the box, but did well to defend and deflected his attempt from 16 yards.

Messi followed with another chance in the 40th but a slight touch from Lehmann and the right post saved Stuttgart. Sergio Busquets helped set up the chance, but Messi's left-footed shot was deflected by a diving Lehmann and then rolled off the right post before the goalie smothered the ball.

Stuttgart had one more chance to grab a two-goal lead before half, but a great chance for Pogrebnyak from the right side of the area was saved by Valdes just at the edge of the six-yard box in the 41st.

Barca didn't waste time erasing Stuttgart's inspiring first-half effort and, just seven minutes after the break, were level when Ibrahimovic converted the second of two quick chances.

Pique won a header on the top of the six to play the ball down to Ibrahimovic, and although his first chance was incredibly saved by Lehmann from just a few feet away, the ball returned to his feet and Ibrahimovic fired into the lower right from eight yards.

Barca had the next good chance in the 67th when Messi chased down a long pass on the right and crossed to the top of the area to Andres Iniesta, who whiffed on the ball.

Two minutes later, Lehmann made a huge mistake when he misjudged a ball in the area and let it slip to Ibrahimovic on the right side. Ibrahimovic sent a shot at an empty goal, but Molinaro deflected the ball off the line with his arm.

Although it was an obvious handball, not call was made, and Molinaro's gamble paid off as the hosts remained level entering the final 20 minutes.

Gebhart followed with a chance for Stuttgart in the 73rd, but was denied from the left side of the six-yard box by Valdes, and then the match settled into a midfield battled for the next 20 minutes.

Stuttgart's final chance was after Ciprian Marica was fouled just outside the area by Pique in the 90th, but Zdravko Kuzmanovic delivered the free kick into the arms of Valdes for an easy save.

Barca had a chance in stoppage time when Messi broke down the right, but Sami Khedira did well to race in and commit a foul to stop the play.

In Athens, Michael Ciani scored in the final minute of the first and Bordeaux held on for the win at Karaiskaki Stadium. Yoann Gourcuff delivered a cross following a set piece, and Ciani headed in from the center of the box.

Barcelona and Bordeaux host the second legs on March 17.

On Wednesday, Chelsea visits Inter Milan and Sevilla visits CSKA Moscow to cap the opening legs in the Round of 16.

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