Messi Scores 100th Champions League Goal, Barcelona bt Chelsea 3-0

Lionel Messi scored two goals as Barcelona thrashed Chelsea 3-0 to reach the Champions League Q/F 4-1 on aggregate
AP
Football
Updated:
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal during the Champions League round of sixteen second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain
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(Photo: AP)
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal during the Champions League round of sixteen second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain
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  • Barcelona: 3 goals (Messi 3 min, Dembele 20 min, Messi 63 min) beat Chelsea: 0
  • Barcelona reach the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.
  • Messi opened the scoring after two minutes and eight seconds, the quickest goal of his career.
  • Barcelona now in the Champions League quarter-finals for the 11th consecutive season.

Lionel Messi scored his 99th and 100th goals in the Champions League to send Barcelona through to the quarterfinals for the 11th straight season with a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Wednesday.

Barcelona advanced 4-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 first-leg draw in London.

Messi beat Thibaut Courtois with two strikes between the Chelsea goalkeeper's legs from very tight angles on the side of the box. He struck the opener three minutes into the match and took Barcelona's third goal in the 63rd.

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Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, left, celebrates with Lionel Messi after scoring his side’s second goal during the Champions League round of sixteen second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

But the most dazzling moment from the Argentina forward, who returned from missing one match for the birth of his third son on Saturday, came when he helped Ousmane Dembele score his first goal for Barcelona after he stole the ball from former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas and darted past two would-be tacklers in the 20th.

Barcelona remained unbeaten in 25 straight Champions League matches at Camp Nou, a run that dates back to 2013. The hosts also stayed in contention for a rare treble of titles. They lead the Spanish league and have reached the final of the Copa del Rey.

Chelsea will now have to focus on finishing in the top four in the Premier League to return to tournament. It is currently in fifth place.

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Published: 14 Mar 2018,03:21 AM IST

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