Messi’s magic helps Barca to Champions’ semifinals

BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi came off the bench to help Barcelona fight back for a 1- 1 draw with Paris Saint- Germain on Wednesday and reach the Champions League semifinals for a sixth year in a row.

Barcelona advanced on the away goals rule after its 2- 2 draw in Paris last week meant the contest finished 3- 3 on aggregate, but not without showing just how much it depends on Messi against major opponents.

Messi, who had injured his hamstring a week earlier, was only cleared to play an hour before kickoff. He went on in the 62nd minute with his team losing 1- 0 after Javier Pastore’s opener.

It took him nine minutes to start the decisive move that Pedro Rodriguez finished off to keep Barcelona in the hunt for its fourth Champions League title in eight seasons.

Messi has dominated many a match for Barcelona on its way to trophy success in recent seasons, but his importance and leadership for the Catalan club was rarely more evident than on Wednesday night.

“Messi is a very important player and he put in a great effort,” said Pedro.

“He was the catalyst. We changed after he came on and we have to thank him for that.”

Barcelona was a different team with Messi — though he was probably not at full strength— compared to the lacklustre side that PSG toyed with while the Argentina international watched from the dugout.

Also on Wednesday, Bayern Munich beat Juventus 2- 0 to go through 4- 0 on aggregate. Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are the other semifinalists in Friday’s draw.

Barcelona was almost unrecognizable for stretches in the first half without its star, as it lost its nerve and became sloppy in its trademark passing.

Besides Xavi Hernandez’s second-minute free kick which just missed, PSG proved the more incisive side, needing to score with Barcelona holding the away- goal advantage.

But once the four- time world player of the year went on, Barcelona snapped into action, scored the decisive goal and dictated the rest of the match.

“( Messi) is the best player in the world,” said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. “It doesn’t matter if he’s a little bit injured, he can change everything. We knew that having him on the pitch would be important.”

PSG’s main threat in the early stages was striker Ezequiel Lavezzi, who forced goalkeeper Victor Valdes into action twice before the quarter- hour mark, while Lucas sailed a long shot over the bar in the 19th.

Barcelona was limited to Andres Iniesta’s incursions and Pedro’s shot into the side- netting from a tight angle.

Lavezzi had a good chance in the 24th when Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who excelled as a playmaker all game, put him through the Barcelona defence. However, Valdes was able to block the low shot he had poked toward the goal and Pique scrambled to clear the rebound.

PSG’s surge rattled Barcelona, which uncharacteristically started to err in its normally crisp passes, and Lucas gave the Camp Nou crowd another scare with a header that Valdes swatted away after Ibrahimovic had picked the Brazilian out in the area.

“We put in a huge amount of effort tonight,” said PSG defender Christophe Jallet. “We didn’t fear them and played our own game. ( Barcelona) were nervous and not far from going out.”

Pastore put PSG ahead when he worked a one- two with Ibrahimovic on the break to beat the offside trap, before holding off Dani Alves and using his left foot to scoop the ball over the sliding Valdes.

Messi immediately pulled up his socks on Barcelona’s bench and soon started to warm up on the touchline — to cheers from the home fans.

After Dani Alves had sent a shot high from inside the area, huge applause greeted Messi when he went on for Cesc Fabregas.

Barcelona responded and started to pepper PSG’s goal with shots from Pique and Iniesta, but Messi fluffed his first opportunity when he lost control while taking aim after a rebound had fallen to him in the box.

Messi soon made up for his miscue, though, when he sped past two defenders into the area and passed for David Villa, who then laid the ball off to Pedro with a clever backpass that the forward rifled into the corner of the net with a left- footed strike.