Barcelona 7 Bayer Leverkusen 1: LIONEL MESSI scored five goals as Champions League holders Barcelona destroyed unfortunate Bayer Leverkusen to confirm their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite their 3-1 lead from the first leg in Germany, Barcelona played with trademark hunger under Pep Guardiola as Messi became the first player to score five in a single Champions League game while substitute Cristian Tello added two in a team performance of startling brilliance.
Karim Bellarabi managed a consolation for Bayer in added time.
A 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the weekend boosted Leverkusen’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League again next season but they were heavy underdogs to progress to the last eight this time around.
After only 10 minutes Messi’s run into the box saw him meet Cesc Fabregas’ sublime lofted ball and only a sharp reflex save by Bernd Leno stopped the Argentinian from opening the scoring. Gonzalo Castro blocked Pedro’s shot on the rebound.
Xavi and Gerard Pique both went close before Barca finally broke the deadlock after 25 minutes. Xavi teamed up with Messi delightfully, the midfielder chipping an inch-perfect ball over the halfway line which Messi collected before producing a cheeky lob over Leno’s left shoulder.
The contest was essentially over as Messi scored a trademark second three minutes before the break, easily dancing his way inside after receiving Andres Iniesta’s pass before producing a left-footed finish to make it 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
Fabregas produced a similar pass to Xavi’s for the first goal, lofting the ball over perfectly to leave Leverkusen’s high defensive line stranded as Messi took it on before chipping Leno once more in the 49th minute.
Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok saw a his delicate cross-shot come to nothing before substitute Tello made it 4-0 in the 55th minute, firing home right-footed having been put through by Fabregas. Three minutes later the humiliation continued as Messi got his fourth, dinking the ball carefully in off the post.
Debutant Tello got his second just after the hour as he sidefooted home Dani Alves’s pinpoint cross. Messi then made history with his fifth of the night after 84 minutes, becoming the first player to score that many in a single game as he bent home a left-footed strike with alarming simplicity to make it 12 goals in seven European appearances this season.
Guardiola and Bayer counterpart Robin Dutt were greeting each other at the end as substitute Bellarabi scored a consolation.
BARCELONA: Valdes, Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano (Muniesa 63), Xavi (Keita 53), Busquets, Iniesta (Tello 53), Fabregas, Pedro, Messi. Subs Not Used: Pinto, Cuenca, Roberto, Bartra.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Leno, Castro, Schwaab, Toprak, Kadlec, Reinartz, Bender (Schurrle 55), Rolfes, Renato Augusto (Oczipka 67), Kiessling, Derdiyok (Bellarabi 55). Subs Not Used: Giefer, Friedrich, Ortega, Zenga. Booked: Rolfes, Castro.
Attendance: 75,632
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway).
SPOT ON: APOEL shock Lyon with penalty win
APOEL NICOSIA 1 LYON 0
(1-1 on agg, APOEL win 4-3 on pens)
APOEL Nicosia beat Olympique Lyon on penalties last night to r become the first Cypriot team to make the last eight of any European competition.
Lyons Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos had spot-kicks saved by Dionisios Chiotis, who was also unlucky that Lisandro Lopezs penalty went in off his back.
Gustavo Manduca, sent off in extra time for a second booking, had earlier netted at the far post on nine minutes after Constantinos Charalambides crossed as hosts APOEL levelled the aggregate scores at 1-1.
Lyon came into the game on the back of poor domestic form and Manducas goal forced under-pressure coach Remi Garde – who had fielded a defensive formation – to urge his side forward. Edersons overhit free kick almost sneaked in before his diving header bounced wide but that was as close as Lyon came.
APOEL still had other chances with Charalambides blasting wide from a difficult angle, Esteban Solaris shot being saved by Hugo Lloris and Lyons Aly Cissokho flicking a free kick onto his own bar.
Lyon shaded extra time with Gomis and Lacazette on the field but APOEL also got forward and wasted decent opportunities.
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