FC Barcelona 1 Arsenal 1

FC Barcelona handed Arsenal a draw with an abject second half showing of lazy weakness that allowed the English side to march to a comfortable point.

In the seconds following French midfielder Gilles Grimandi's red card for throwing an elbow at Rivaldo after he was fouled by the Brazilian, Kanu met a slap save by goalkeeper Ruud Hesp to drive the ball into the net in the 83rd minute.

Barca had been too relaxed and let the Arsenal side dominate a game they looked like losing heavily in the first half.

Arsenal gave FC Barcelona the lead in the Camp Nou with some horror defending and the home side did not look like losing their grip on the game.

The London side had been placed under intense early pressure by the pass and move game of the Barcelona side which used a conventional back four to allow Figo and Rivaldo to operate at will down either flank.

The storm may have subsided though but for a double blunder in the Arsenal rear guard that offered Barca the chance to hit the front.

Austrian goalkeeper Alex Manninger flapped at a back pass and spilled the ball into the path of Patrick Vieira who inexplicably began to try and bring the ball under control with a juggling act that allowed Luis Enrique to step in and pass the ball into the empty net.

Arsenal pressed up and closed down space in the second half and stifled Barca's passing and the home side had no answer.