With Leo Messi back on the squad after a one match suspension in la liga, FC Barcelona showed an impressive display of football and gave no chance to Bayer Leverkusen. Messi, with 5 goals and Tello (x2) secured an outstanding win for the Blaugrana.
Leo Messi broke all his scoring records: he scored five goals, a record in the history of the Champions League new format. His full-house of goals, was accompanied by two goals from canterano Tello, who could have scored a hat-trick.
FC Barcelona are through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the fifth consecutive season. They hope to become the first team to win the trophy back to back.
The International press about Messi’s performance
Praise for Leo Messi after his historic five-goal performance extended beyond his teammates and manager. News outlets from all around the world ran out of adjectives to describe last night’s performance.
L’Equipe: “¡Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi!”
Gazzetta dello Sport: “Barça Show, Manita for Messi”
Corriere dello Sport: “Messi, five legendary goals”
Bild: “The God of football: Messi”
Kicker: “Record failure, Messi destroys Bayer”
Daily Mirror: “Five stars, from another planet”
The Telegraph: “Messi makes history in the Champions League”
I feel fortunate to have coached and managed this player
Pep Guardiola
Josep Guardiola, who believes that the Argentinian striker ‘is the best’, added that that he feels fortunate to have “coached and managed this player.” For the manager, the Barça superstar is “unique because of his talent and for his competitive capacity.”
Watch the goals and highlights below
m.25 1-0, Goal from Messi
m.42 2-0, Goal from Messi
m.50 3-0, Goal from Messi
m.55 4-0, Goal from Tello
m.58 5-0, Goal from Messi
m.62 6-0, Goal from Tello
m.85 7-0, Goal from Messi
m.90 7-1, Goal from Bellarabi