Arch rivals Arsenal FC also saw relative success in their group, finishing a highly-respectable second after four wins and a comprehensive goal difference secured their place in the last 16.
Further afield, fellow English forces Chelsea and Manchester United also proved lethal in their individual groups, both finishing top and securing last 16 ties as their time in the Champions League extends. Unfortunately however Scottish title-chasers Rangers fell short of the mark, after poor performances in their group saw them finish third with a rather feeble six points from six games.
When the draws for the last 16 began to filter through I - like every other footballing fan - clutched at straws, hoping for a relatively easy tie in order for my team to progress in the final. Manchester United were handed an arguably easy tie against a lesser-skilled Marseille side, whilst Chelsea were also (again, arguably) gifted a two-legged tie with Group D runners up FC Copenhagen.
Celebrations were short-lived for fellow Londoners Arsenal and Tottenham however, as the footballing gods rewarded both teams' fine forms with ties against a romping Barcelona and current Italian league leaders AC Milan respectively. Though trying to remain optimistic, all I could see from both draws were defeats. From here on in, and particularly after seeing Spurs fall 4-0 down before half time against a 'weaker' Inter Milan side in their group stage, all I could have hoped for was a strong performance at the San Siro, and a respectable send off at home the following fortnight at White Hart Lane. Similarly (until Barcelona's surprise draw at the hands of Sporting Gijon last week) Arsenal were due to face a Spanish side with a formidable record of 16 consecutive La Liga victories and an unbeaten run in the CL before the tie.
However, after seeing Spurs spectacularly hold AC Milan for a good 80 minutes in their match on Tuesday before launching a deadly counter attacking run at a light Milan defence by winger Aaron Lennon - resulting in Peter Crouch's fine effort putting the away side in front - and record a 1-0 win in Italy, the patriotic side of me (and I'm ashamed to say this) urged for an Arsenal victory the following night.
Fair enough, as Barcelona routinely went ahead courtesy of a fine David Villa finish, I let out a burst of excitement as Arsenal went behind. However, Arsenal's fine comeback against the La Liga force also, surprisingly, saw me throw a fist in the air as our arch-rivals went on to overthrow the legendary Spanish side, recording only the second defeat of the season for Barcelona, finishing 2-1 and firmly putting a foot into the next stage of the tournament.
One can only hope that fellow English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea can replicate the success of Arsenal and Tottenham, and the last eight of the Champions League will consist of four British clubs. Whether all four can maintain their fine form of present is yet to be determined, but when the draw for the last eight takes place, I can safely say pride will be my core feeling. However the draw turns out, having half of the balls drawn out being English will - if nothing else - confirm to the world why the Premier League is the most challenging in the world. Europe, watch out.-------------------
Original blog posted by myself can be found at http://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/?p=38407
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