There was always a sense that Barcelona would not be the same team without their talisman Lionel Messi, and for 60 minutes it looked like the Champions League favorites were going out only for the Argentine superstar to come on and change to game on its head.
Barcelona eked out a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint Germain in the second leg quarterfinals of the Champions League to go through to the final four on the away goals rule after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.
Pedro Rodriguez equalized for the home side at the Camp Nou, after Javier Pastore had given PSG a deserved 1-0 lead early in the second half.
There was no swagger and style this time around from the Barca side, as they struggled to find their rhythm, despite dominating possession.
At the end of the day, without Messi, their game slows down considerably and the cutting edge is just not as evident.
Cesc Fabregas was given the job of replacing the little Argentine, and the former Arsenal midfielder looked like doing OK, winning a freekick in the first couple of minutes, which Xavi curled just wide of the post.
While Barca were enjoying the possession, it was PSG who threatened the goal more, as Victor Valdes needed to be alert on a couple of occasions to keep out Lucas Moura, who was having a really good game.
The first half ended goalless, but it only took PSG five minutes in the second to take a deserved lead.
Pastore combined well with Zlatan Ibrahimovic before slotting it nicely over Valdes from a tight angle.
The PSG playmaker could have made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute, but could not find the target a second time.
Barca were now getting desperate and Tito Vilanova pulled out the ace in his pack, by bringing on Messi in the 62nd minute. Immediately a Barca side bereft of confidence brightened up and the pace of their play increased.
Iniesta came close after a one-two with Villa, forcing a save from Salvatore Sirigu, with Messi just unable to latch onto the rebound.
However, the equalizer arrived in the 71st minute with Messi the architect. Messi played a nice pass to Villa, who in turn fed Pedro to power his shot into the back of the net.
Carlo Ancelotti brought on David Beckham to help find the second goal, but PSG just could not unlock the Barca defense again as the Spanish giants sealed a place in the semis.
In the other quarterfinal, Bayern Munich emphasized their superiority on Juventus with a comfortable 2-0 win in Turin to take the tie 4-0 on aggregate.
Mario Mandzukic and Claudio Pizzarro were the goalscorers for the German champions, with Bayern looking like the team to beat in the competition.
Champions League semifinalists (the last-four draw will be made on Friday): Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Bayern Munich.