MESSI STRIKES TWICE TO SINK BAYERN
BARCELONA WIN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIS FIRST-LEG
BARCELONA: Lionel Messi’s exquisite Champions League double for Barcelona against Bayern Munich was a case of history repeating itself with an added magnificent assist for Neymar to seal an emphatic 3-0 semifinal, first leg win.
With the European heavyweights locked at 0- 0 in Wednesday’s absorbing clash at the Nou Camp, the Argentina forward picked up a 77th-minute pass and lashed a shot into the corner past Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to put Barca 1-0 up.
Three minutes later, Messi left Bayern’s Germany defender Jerome Boateng on the seat of his pants and beat Neuer with a delicate chip that sent his adoring fans packed into the giant arena into delirium. The match had already ticked into stoppage time when Messi sent a pass into space for Neymar and the Brazil forward raced away to make it 3-0 and virtually assure Barca of a place in June’s final in Berlin. Messi’s second goal, in particular, drew effusive praise from all sides, with headlines in Thursday’s sports papers dubbing him everything from a god to an extra-terrestrial.
“It was over in a second, it just happened like that,” Messi, with typical self-effacement, told reporters when asked about his second strike. “I imagined that other way.”
With Messi on this kind of form, it is hard to imagine Bayern mounting a comeback in Tuesday’s second leg in Munich and Barca are looking good to repeat 2009’s treble of Champions League and Spanish league and Cup titles won under former coach and current Bayern boss Pep Guardiola.