Video: magical Messi leads Barcelona win against Chelsea
Argentine star scores twice as Spanish side secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals
Barcelona 3 Chelsea 0 (aggregate 4-1)
Lionel Messi struck twice last night to send Barcelona through to the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Chelsea.
Barca’s 3-0 win in the last-16 second leg gave them a 4-1 aggregate victory and sees them in the hat for tomorrow’s quarter-finals draw.
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Messi opened the scoring after only 128 seconds to put Barcelona in control of the tie, and when Ousmane Dembele hammered home the second on 20 minutes there was no way back for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side.
After 63 minutes, history was made when Messi scored again - his 100th Champions League goal. He joins Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League 100 goal club.
Despite the 3-0 loss at the Camp Nou, Chelsea boss Conte said he was proud of his team. He told the BBC: “It is a pity. At the same time, I must be honest. I must be very proud about my players - they gave everything and we have to continue in this way, with this will to fight and desire to fight together.
“We were a bit unlucky if you consider the two legs. We are showing we can play in both ways. The first leg, defensively we were more compact, and only after our mistake they scored. Tonight they scored more but we didn’t deserve this result.”
The night belonged to Messi though, with his performance praised by pundits and fans alike. Conte called the Argentine the type of player “born once every 50 years”, while Gary Lineker said there was no comparison between Messi and Ronaldo.
Messi is the king of Barcelona.
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Goal machine.
This Liverpool fan doesn’t want Barcelona in the last eight.
2018 Champions League quarter-final draw
When is the Champions League quarter-final draw?
The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals takes place at 11am (UK time) tomorrow.
How the Champions League quarter-final draw will work
According to Uefa it will be an open draw, meaning there are no seeded teams or country restrictions. Teams from the same national association can be drawn against each other. The side drawn first will play the first leg at home.
Who are the teams in the Champions League quarter-finals?
Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Roma and Sevilla have all progressed to the last eight.
When are the first-leg and second-leg ties?
The Champions League quarter-final first legs will be on Tuesday, 3 April and Wednesday, 4 April. The return legs will be on 10 and 11 April.
How to watch the draw
Uefa will live stream the Champions League quarter-final draw on its website.
2018 Uefa Champions League guide
When are the Champions League semi-finals?
The Champions League semi-final draw takes place on 13 April. First legs are on 24 and 25 April and second legs are on 1 and 2 May.
When is the 2018 Champions League final?
The Champions League final takes place on Saturday, 26 May at the NSC Olimpiyskyi stadium in Kiev, Ukraine.
Champions League betting odds
According to the bookies, Manchester City are favourites to lift the Champions League trophy in Kiev. City are 41/13 favourites ahead of Barcelona (4/1) and holders Real Madrid (9/2).
Latest best prices according to Oddschecker (as of 15 March).
- Manchester City: 41/13
- Barcelona: 4/1
- Real Madrid: 9/2
- Bayern Munich: 19/4
- Juventus: 10/1
- Liverpool: 10/1
- Sevilla: 50/1
- Roma: 66/1
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