Chelsea reaches Champions final

Lionel Messi walked off the Camp Nou pitch in tears, as one of the most dominant eras in European club soccer came to a crashing halt. Barcelona was looking for a third Champions League title in four seasons.

Despite going a man and two goals down in the first half, Chelsea pulled off one of the unlikeliest comebacks in Champions League history Tuesday, earning a 2-2 draw against host Barcelona. That sent the London club into the final 3-2 on aggregate and eliminated the defending champion.

“It’s a historical night for the club. I believe we deserve to be in the final,” said Chelsea’s interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, whose team will face Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the May 19 final at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Coming into the second leg with a 1-0 lead, Chelsea went down 2-0 and had captain John Terry sent off in the first half. But Ramires’ stunning lob right before halftime gave the advantage back to the Blues on away goals. After Messi blasted a penalty kick against the crossbar and hit the post with another shot, Fernando Torres scored in injury time to make it 3-2 on aggregate and ensure Chelsea advanced.

“We’re here because of this kid (messi),” Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. “I have no doubt he’s going through a bad moment. That’s the sad thing about this sport is that these things exist.”

Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta put Barcelona up 2-0.

Terry will be suspended from the final alongside three other Chelsea players — Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles.