2 own goals help Barcelona beat Roma 4-1 in CL quarterfinals
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) A pair of own goals by Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas helped Barcelona beat Roma 4-1 in the opening leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
De Rossi's scrambling attempt to cut off a pass by Andres Iniesta for Lionel Messi backfired as the Italy international sliced the ball into the lower corner of Roma's net for 38th-minute opener.
Kostas suffered similar bad luck in the 55th when his clearance of a low cross by Ivan Rakitic hit the post and ricocheted off Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti before finally crossing the goal-line.
Barcelona pressed its advantage and Gerard Pique scored a third goal four minutes later when he only had to tap in the rebound from a save by goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who palmed a shot by Luis Suarez right to the unmarked defender.
Edin Dzeko pulled one back for Roma in the 80th before Luis Suarez scored Barcelona's fourth, breaking his streak of 10 matches without a goal in the competition.
The victory extended Barcelona's unbeaten run in the Champions League to 26 straight home matches, a streak that dates back to September 2013.
The return leg is in Rome next Tuesday.
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