Lionel Messi produced a mesmerising master-class to end Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League dreams and send Barcelona into the semi-finals with a 6-3 aggregate success.
The prodigiously talented Argentina international claimed a hat-trick of extraordinary quality in the space of 21 first-half minutes and added a fourth at the death after the Gunners had threatened to upset the odds by opening the scoring in Camp Nou.
Nicklas Bendtner’s goal briefly gave Arsene Wenger’s
men the lead for the first time in the tie, but hopes of an improbable upset in the second leg were whisked away by the magical feet of Barcelona’s diminutive genius.
Arsenal’s defence were simply unable to cope with Messi as he levelled almost immediately before going on to score twice more before the interval and again in the second half to set up a semi-final showdown with Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.
Here are some of the Facebook comments I received after the game:
Lisa Ganira: N thea we go agen.mwwaaah Messi!
Kevizzy Maina: Huraay nw i cn slp in peace
LuvLee Heslop: …Things are getting Messi lol! Ag shame ars en all!
Darrian Morgan: I cant wait for the dislike button…
Leroy Jacobs: Messi vs arsenal… He reali made da circel bigger
