Messi shines again as Barcelona cruise into Champions League quarters

MADRID (AFP) Two-goal Lionel Messi turned in another sparkling display as holders Barcelona marched into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Stuttgart at Camp Nou on Wednesday. Messi, 22, followed up his hat-trick against Valencia on Sunday with a brace either side of the interval to make it eight goals in his last four games, and 29 in all competitions this season, as Barca cruised to a 5-1 aggregate victory. As well as scoring twice, Messi was also the provider for Pedros goal before substitute Bojan Krkic scored in the final minute shortly after coming on. Barcelona are Spains only representatives in Europes flagship competition following the elimination of Sevilla and Real Madrid. They are also favourites to win the Champions League although no holder has ever managed to retain the trophy since its inception in 1993. We are playing for two important titles and the best bit comes now, said captain Carles Puyol. We played well and are getting back to where we were. The additional incentive for Barca is that the Champions League final is played at the Santiago Bernabeu - the home of arch-rivals Real Madrid - and there would be nothing sweeter than lifting a fourth European Cup in the Spanish capital. We have complicated rivals to come and we shouldnt think about the final, said Barcelona president Joan Laporta. We will see who we get on Friday (in the draw). The French sides have shown their quality, Bayern (Munich) are on form, Inter (Milan) eliminated Chelsea and Arsenal always play good football. For Stuttgart it was an abrupt end to their European adventure and they now return to the domestic league where they languish in ninth place in the Bundesliga. Barcelona are strong individually and collectively and I think the elimination of Real Madrid gave them some extra motivation, said Stuttgart coach Christian Gross. Spanish international midfielder Xavi Hernandez missed the game with a leg injury so Yaya Toure deputised in midfield with French forward Thierry Henry forcing record signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic onto the substitute bench. Henry came up against old Arsenal team-mates Alexander Hleb, on a season loan from Barcelona, and veteran goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, now 40, with all three players in the Arsenal team that lost 2-1 against Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final. Messi was the man Stuttgart knew they had to beware, but they could only watch in awe on 13 minutes as the Argentine dribbled inside and thumped a shot past Lehmann to put Barca 2-1 up in the tie. Messi then produced a sublime pass to set up the second goal on 22 minutes finding Toure who squared the ball for Pedro to tap in his third Champions League goal of the campaign. After the break it was more of the same as Messi tormented the opposition, again setting up Toure for a great chance on 55 minutes only for the Ivory Coast midfielder to shoot wide. Messi showed his team-mate how to do it four minutes later turning smartly before curling the ball into the bottom corner for his fifth goal in his last two matches and fourth in this seasons Champions League. Sergi Busquets hobbled off with a knock and Ibrahimovic came on in his place to give Stuttgart another headache at the back. Messi almost bagged another hat-trick meeting Dani Alves cross with his head but Lehmann produced a smart save. The Germans were helpless, however, as Bojan scored a fourth in the final minute shortly after coming on as a substitute. Bordeaux edge Olympiakos to reach last eight Bordeaux squeezed into the Champions League quarter-finals after a tense 2-1 victory over Olympiakos on Wednesday that saw three men sent off. Laurent Blancs men were 2-0 up on aggregate and apparently cruising after Yoann Gourcuffs sublime early free-kick and the second-half dismissal of Olympiakos striker Matt Derbyshire. But substitute Konstantinos Mitroglou drew the visitors level with a fine opportunistic strike and Bordeaux then lost captain Alou Diarra after he received a second booking. It made for a jittery final 20 minutes at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, but Marouane Chamakh finally put the tie to bed with an emphatic headed finish in the 88th minute to seal a 3-1 aggregate win. We scored the goal but then we shouldnt have taken any risks, said Bordeaux midfielder Wendel. They equalised when it was 10 against 11 and then we had a few problems. For the next round, I have no preference. There are great sides like Barcelona, Inter and Manchester (United) who are playing well at the moment. With these teams it would be 50-50. If its Lyon itll be difficult. Victory extended Bordeauxs winning run in the competition to seven matches and took the French champions into the last eight of Europes top club competition for the first time since 1988. The Greek sides frustrations boiled over in the games aftermath, with centre-back Olof Mellberg sent off after the final whistle, but coach Bozidar Bandovic took pride in his sides performance. We scored a goal and we had some chances, I congratulate my players, he said. By believing in ourselves a bit more, perhaps things could have gone differently. I ask myself how we managed to concede those two goals but we looked our opponent in the eye. Olympiakoss hopes of turning the tie around took a heavy blow in the fifth minute when Gourcuff put his side in front in sensational fashion. Right-back Vasilis Torosidis was unfortunate to be penalised after Wendel went to ground in his vicinity but Gourcuff was merciless, ripping the ensuing free-kick into the top-right corner from wide on the left. He almost repeated the trick moments before half-time but, from 20 yards further out, his free-kick fell against the crossbar and bounced onto the right-hand post before being cleared. Derbyshire thought hed snatched an equaliser on the stroke of half-time but his adroit close-range volley was ruled out for a marginal offside. The former Blackburn Rovers forward was then sent off 15 minutes into the second half for jumping in on Jaroslav Plasil after an earlier booking for diving. Bandovic reacted positively, though, by throwing on striker Mitroglou and within two minutes he had drawn the away side level with a fine half-volley after Bordeaux switched off at a throw-in. Ludovic Sane almost hacked Raul Bravos cut-back into his own net in the 77th minute, while Chamakh wasted a one-on-one chance before making the game safe with a towering header from Benoit Tremoulinass cute left-wing cross. Gourcuff has struggled for form in recent weeks but his goal emboldened him and he was soon running through his repertoire of elegant pirouettes and searching passes. A neat flick freed Chamakh for a shot that was straight at Antonis Nikopolidis in the visiting goal, while the Greek veteran alertly saved at Gourcuffs feet in the 39th minute after the former AC Milan man chased a loose ball into the box. Jaouad Zairi spurned Olympiakoss best chance of the first half when he flung himself at Bravos left-wing cross but diverted his volley just wide.

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