A double by three-time world footballer of the year Lionel
Messi inspired holders Barcelona to a fifth successive appearance in the
Champions League semi-finals after a 3-1 win over AC Milan here on
Tuesday in their quarter-final second leg clash and win by the same
scoreline on aggregate.Messi's brace of first-half penalties took
him to 51 Champions League goals - at 24 the youngest to achieve this
landmark - and a total this season of 14 breaking the previous record
held by himself and Ruud van Nistelrooy of 12.Andres Iniesta's
well-taken goal early in the second-half wrapped up the match and they
will face wither Chelsea or Benfica in the semi-finals as they bid to
become the first team to retain the trophy since it became the Champions
League in the 1992/93 season.Antonio Nocerino had pulled a goal
back for Milan to level briefly in the first-half but in the end there
was no stopping Barcelona emulating the great Real Madrid side of the
1950's in reaching five successive semi-finals.A fired up Messi,
who has been the top scorer in the Champions League for the past three
seasons but had only scored once before against Italian opposition, had
three chances inside the first ten minutes before finally scoring.He
shot straight at the keeper from the edge of the area and then side
footed wide after a delightful link up with Cesc Fabregas.At the
San Siro, Milan had looked composed and managed to disrupt Barca's usual
passing game but now they were looking edgy especially at the back
where they were missing Thiago Silva in the centre.One error after another led to Barca's opening goal.Massimo
Ambrosini was dispossessed in midfield by Messi who tore into the area
and then appeared to make the wrong decision in playing the ball back to
Xavi. Full-back Luca Antonini dispossessed the Spain international but
then went through the back of Messi and the referee awarded the penalty
which the Argentine despatched into the corner.Milan eventually began to settle and scored with their first moment of real danger.Robinho
went on a jinking run and then found Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the edge of
the area, who picked out Nocerino and he calmly slid the ball past
keeper Victor Valdes.Milan had got themselves back into the game
but then found themselves chasing the game again before the break, after
another penalty was signalled for a shirt tug by Nesta on Busquets as a
corner was being delivered.Messi stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way from 12 yards.Still
Milan knew that a goal would put them through to the next round but
their task was made a lot tougher after 53 minutes when Iniesta put
Barca further ahead.Messi was again involved with his shot
blocked by Philippe Mexes and the rebound unluckily for the defender ran
to Iniesta who slotted home clinically from close range.Barca
managed to take the steam out of the game in what was a scrappy final
half an hour which was regularly broken up by niggly challenges.The home side had the chances though to win by a larger margin with Thiago Alcantara and Adriano both shooting wide.
Source: AFP