JUVENTUS made sure there were no more miracles at Camp Nou on Wednesday, as the Italian visitors held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw and advanced to the European Champions League (UCL) semifinals.

    The second-leg stalemate sealed a 3-0 win on aggregate and came six weeks after Barcelona’s historic 6-1 thrashing of Paris Saint-Germain, when the home side became the first team to ever overturn a 4-0 loss in the competition.

    Juventus showed all the poise and experience that PSG had sorely lacked in the previous round.

    “We knew Barcelona was ready to risk everything tonight, but we closed down all the spaces,” Juventus centerback Leonardo Bonucci said. “Scoring three in the first leg and not conceding at the Camp Nou is the evidence that we are a great team. I think every team would like to avoid us now.”

    True to the Italian tradition of defending an advantage, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon had little work to do until late in the game, as Massimiliano Allegri’s side expertly absorbed Barcelona’s high-paced passing attack that ultimately produced few good scoring opportunities.

    And when Lionel Messi did get free inside the area, Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer squandered both his chances to spark a fightback.

    The only miracle seen in Barcelona this time was Juventus not getting a late goal, with the Spanish side barely having the legs to recover when defending.

    Barcelona forward Neymar was consoled by former teammate Dani Alves after the final whistle.

    “Juventus is a great team and they were better than us,” Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. “It was a difficult result to turn around, although we tried until the end. They are an Italian club and defend very well. I wish them the best and I think they can win the title.”

    Juventus joins Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Monaco in the semifinal draw Friday.

    Monaco reached the final four after beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Wednesday for a 6-3 aggregate win. Teenager Kylian Mbappe and forward Radamel Falcao struck early to put Monaco on its way.

    Even with Barcelona in full-attack mode, the same Juventus starting 11 from the first leg masterfully managed the match, bending but never breaking under the assault.

    Messi had a great chance to boost Barcelona’s chances in the 19th minute when a long buildup ended with Luis Suarez setting him up near the penalty spot, only for Messi to fire wide.

    Barcelona continued to penetrate the right side of Juventus’ defense, where Neymar and Andres Iniesta started to cause Dani Alves and Juan Cuadrado problems. Neymar volleyed Jordi Alba’s pass wide before Messi drew the first save from Buffon just past the half-hour mark.

    Messi’ frustrating first half had a painful ending when he was caught by Miralem Pjanic while jumping for a ball. Messi tumbled face first into the turf, and showed a small scratch that bled on his cheek once he got back on his feet. (SD-Agencies)