Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Agg 10-2): Incomparable Messi scores five and Tello adds two more as German outfit are battered at Camp Nou
The holders sealed progression to the last eight of Europe's elite competition on Wednesday as they followed up their 3-1 first-leg win with a thumping victory on home soil Barcelona advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday following a 7-1 hammering of Leverkusen at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi was the history-making hero, becoming the first player to score five times in a single Champions League match. The Catalan giants entered the night with a 3-1 aggregate advantage from the first leg, and Messi's exploits, plus a double from tournament debutant Cristian Tello meant that Karim Bellarabi's late goal was only a consolation strike as Barca advanced by a 10-2 aggregate margin. The hosts had control from the early stages of the match, and Messi nearly put his side ahead after 11 minutes after being played into the box by Cesc Fabregas, but Bernd Leno did very well to push the Argentine's shot around the post. ...