Football Photos

Mesmerising Messi Leaves Bayern Munich in a Daze

May 07, 2015 10:20

Lionel Messi worked his magic on his former coach Pep Guardiola and his Bayern Munich side as Barcelona won 3-0 in the first-leg of the Champions League semis.

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Lionel Messi put on a magical show at Camp Nou as Barcelona drew first blood in the Champions League semis v Bayern Munich (All photos AFP).
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Lionel Messi netted twice in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal on Thursday.
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After scoring two, Messi later set up Neymar in the dying moments of the game to seal the tie 3-0.
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Manuel Neuer had kept Bayern in the game with a string of fine saves, but was helpless as Messi drilled home the opener from the edge of the area in the 77th minute and then delightfully chipped the German three minutes later.
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On his 100th appearance in European football, Messi's double moved him back ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League and Barca to the brink of their first final in four years.
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Messi fed Neymar in stoppage time to roll past Neuer and hand Bayern an almost impossible task in next week's second-leg.
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Guardiola was given a warm reception by the home fans as he took his seat for the first time in the away dugout, but his early tactical plan to play three at the back nearly proved costly.
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A change of system from Guardiola to a four at the back regained some measure of control, but the pace of the game was still unrelenting.
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At the other end, Thiago Alcantara curled just wide on his return to the club where he made his name.
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"After 1-0 it sapped our confidence a bit, the last goal is a shame because with 2-0 we had a chance, but 3-0 it is difficult," said Pep Guardiola, who was returning to the Camp Nou as the opposition coach for the first time after winning 14 trophies in four years as Barca boss between 2008 and 2012.
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"We know how good Bayern are, they like to have the ball, they will be strong at home, but thankfully we managed to get the goals," said Lionel Messi after Barcelona's 3-0 win.
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Guardiola's former teammate and friend, Barca coach Luis Enrique, admitted his job is made a lot easier by having Messi in his side.
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"We created a lot more chances than the opponent and that speaks to how well the players are playing," said Barca coach Luis Enrique.
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Bayern came from 3-1 down in the quarter-finals against Porto with a stunning 6-1 second-leg victory at home, but forward Thomas Mueller admitted doing so against Barca is a different story.

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