‘ The King’ lights up Nou Camp
Messi hits Champions League century in emphatic Barcelona win over Chelsea
Barcelona, March 15: Barcelona hailed Lionel Messi as “The King” and he handed Chelsea the royal punishment by scoring twice to reach 100 Champions League goals and end their quarter- final hopes.
After unfurling a banner showing the words “God Save The King” before kick- off, Barca’s fans were celebrating after just 129 seconds at the Camp Nou as Messi found the net before Chelsea had even made a pass.
He then teed up Ousmane Dembele to double Barca’s lead in the second leg of the last- 16 clash before registering a century of Champions League goals on his 123rd appearance to complete a 3- 0 victory, 4- 1 on aggregate.
Messi becomes only the second player to reach the milestone in Europe’s premier tournament, following Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 117 goals in 152 games.
“He knows in certain moments the stars have to come out,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “We enjoy him. We’re lucky enough to be seeing something that will go down in history.”
By the end, the Argentinian’s scintillating breakaway in the build- up to Dembele’s first Barcelona goal had become little more than a footnote to what was another Messi masterclass. “I think that a fantastic player moved the final result,” Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said. “In these two legs, he scored three goals, he made an assist for Dembele to score a goal. It’s a pity.”
It also caps a remarkable five days for the 30- yearold, who sat out Saturday’s La Liga win over Malaga to attend to the birth of his third child.
BAYERN IN QUARTERS FOR 7TH YEAR IN ROW A Thiago Alcantara strike and Sandro Wagner’s first Champions League goal capped Bayern Munich’s 31 win at Besiktas on Wednesday as the German giants cruised into the quarter- finals for the seventh year in a row.
Bayern completed a comprehensive 8- 1 aggregate victory in Istanbul, having effectively clinched the last- 16 tie following a 5- 0 rout last month in the first leg in Munich.
For Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti in October, this was his 11th straight win in the Champions League which set a new competition record.
After Thiago fired home early on, an own goal by Besiktas right- back Gokhan Gonul put Bayern 2- 0 up right at the start of the second half.
With their team 7- 0 down overall, Besiktas finally came to life, grabbing a consolation goal by Vagner Love.
But Bayern notched their third of the evening when back- up striker Sandro Wagner came off the bench to mark his Champions League debut with his first goal at this level.