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FC Barcelona cruised past Lyon at Camp Nou to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Catalan giants defeated Lyon 5-1 and made sure they did not suffer the same fate as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Talisman Lionel Messi was incredible, proving why he is miles ahead of anyone else in this campaign. It was another complete performance from the genius, who was involved in four of the five goals scored.
The 31-year-old Argentine netted two goals and provided two assists to help his side secure a huge victory over the French side. The goals included a dramatic panenka penalty and a staggering solo run which left two Lyon defenders helpless.
The two goals and two assists were the best way to answer his arch-rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, whose hat-trick singlehandedly took Juventus into the next round.
Unlike Juventus, Barcelona's tie was evenly poised after a 0-0 draw in France. Messi was quiet in the first half, despite scoring a cheeky penalty to give his side the lead before Coutinho extended the advantage.
Later in the second half, Lyon pulled one back but Messi took matters into his own hands. His solo run for Barcelona's 3rd goal was majestic as the Lyon rearguard failed to contain the Argentine genius on his way to the goal. A few minutes later, Messi provided a superb pass to Gerard Pique for the fourth goal and another assist to Ousmane Dembele for the fifth.
Messi has racked up 8 goals and provided 3 assists in the Champions League so far, four goals more than old foe Cristiano Ronaldo. With top scorer Robert Lewandowski out of the competition, Messi may soon take charge of the competition.
Twitter has since exploded with reactions to Leo Messi's majestic performance against Lyon:
