Barcelona stroll to 3-0 win over Panathinaikos

Athens: Pedro Rodriguez scored in each half as Barcelona strolled into the Champions League last 16 as Group D winners with a 3-0 victory over Panathinaikos.

After Djibril Cisse had missed an early opportunity for the hosts, Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 27th minute with Rodriguez converting Daniel Alves`s threaded pass. Second-half goals from Lionel Messi, who netted for the 10th game in succession for club and country, and Rodriguez sealed a comfortable win for Josep Guardiola`s side, who remain top of Group D with 11 points. The result, coupled with Rubin Kazan`s 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen, eliminated Panathinaikos. Panathinaikos seemed content to watch their opponents weave their magical passing patterns in the first half and wait for a chance on the counter.It was a ploy which almost worked as newly-appointed Panathinaikos captain Cisse should have opened the scoring when he was sent clear by Lazaros Christodoulopoulos`s superb pass. The Frenchman was denied by a smart save from Valdes. Barca continued to press forward, and the hosts` diligent backline was finally undone by Alves, who played in Rodriguez. Keeper Alexandros TzorvasTzorvas was then called into action twice in the space of a minute before halftime for saves from Rodriguez and David Villa.The Greens` goalkeeper continued to do his best to thwart Barca and Adriano in particular after halftime, acrobatically palming to safety two powerful shorts from the Barca left back. Bureau Report