Messi the Magician, shows his worth as Barcelona or Messi destroys Arsenal with a one man magic trick.

Messi scored a hatrick in 20 minutes and a fourth in the later periods of the game to demolish Arsenal in the Champions League Quarter final.

The game had started off in a controlled tempo for Arsenal as the wonder kids were playing weary against the Barcelona outfit. However Messi showed a little of what was coming through shots taken from the outside of the area in the 5th and 11th minutes.

Mikael Silvestre particularly looked overwhelmed during the game as his poor clearance fell right in front of Messi on the 11th minute shot that curled just over the cross bar.

However Arsenal’s controlled game came as an advantage as an unsuspecting Barcelona defence missing the influential Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique could not hold Theo Walcott’s pace and the young Englishman flew to the edge of the area before passing to Bendtner to score on the 18th minute.

Until the young Danish star’s goal Arsenal were firmly in control of the game however the goal gave the inexperienced Arsenal side too much confidence as the side started to play attacking football from there on with much of the team constantly going towards the Barcelona half.

At this point Arsenal desperately missed a leader in the team or more like leaders with the injured Fabregas and Gallas, the game could have ended much differently. Fabregas’s leading ability and Gallas’s experience would have calmed the young Arsenal side.

Arsenal literally were blown away with their own wind. Arsenal’s attacking play after the goal could have worked for most other teams but against a team like Barcelona it was almost as if the gunners had forgotten who they were playing against. Arsenals attacking play gave Barcelona more room too pass the ball around and more room for the 22-year-old Argentinian superstar.

Within 4 minutes of conceding, Barcelona was level 1-1 after Frenchman Silvestre failed to clear the ball which dropped in front of Messi who turned towards the centre of the area before shooting the ball between 3 Arsenal players and beating Manuel Almunia.

Barcelona’s attacking play carried on with Messi twisting and turning Sylvestre into the area before shooting wide on the 31st minute. However the Argentinian was again in devastating form when an Abidal cross was poorly cleared by the Arsenal defence to drop in front of Pedro who backheels it for the sprinting Messi who clears his way and puts the ball in the back of the net on the 37th minute, Barcelona Vs Arsenal: 2-1.

Just five minutes after scoring his and his team second goal, Messi was again in action when Keita headed a through ball over the sleeping Arsenal defence only to meet with Messi who sprints some 40 metres with the ball as Arsenal defenders chase only for the genius to unsuspectingly lob Almunia, Barcelona Vs Arsenal 3-1.

Messi scores his fourth hattrick of 2010.

The second half started with the Barcelona side controlling the game with Messi as usual troubling Arsenal at the back.

Arsenal did have a few chances of their own with the Barcelona defence drastically weakened with the prime defenders missing, the 59th minute saw Bendtner stay one-on-one with Valdes before a fantastic Milito challenge clears the ball from the slow paced Dane.

Sylvestre was substituted off for Emmanuel Eboué, a change that I think should have came much earlier with the Frenchman performing poorly on Tuesday’s game.

Minutes after coming on Eboué was very lucky not to be sent off as his hand hit Sergio’s face while he was running behind the Arsenal player. Though it was an accident I’v seen players sent off for the same offence.

Tomas Rosicky also missed an important chance and should have done much better on the 68th minute who shot over the bar.

The performance of both teams were clearly on the statistics that were shown on the screen with Barcelona having a huge 62% possession over Arsenal’s 32%.

From then on Messi was in action as Barcelona’s influential young star done his usual razzle dazzle twisting and turning players sometimes to shoot himself or to set other players up.

Messi’s scored his and Barcelona’s fourth goal which was also the first time in five years that a single player scored four goals in the Champions League on the 87th minute.

Messi got the ball from 35 meters out ran passed Diaby, Clichy, Vermaelen and shoots on goal from an angel only to be saved by Almunia. The ball drops in front of Messi who shoots again and scores from between Almunia’s legs.

The faces on the Arsenal trio who were humiliated during the fourth goal summed the game up for me as they all looked as they wanted to be off that pitch and never come back to the Nou Camp, Barcelona or even Spain.

When the final whistle blew all eye’s were on a special 22-year-old who literally destroyed 11 men on his own.

Arsenal did too little as year in year out Arsene wenger is always criticised for the lack of inexperienced players within the Arsenal side.

The gunners were through to the Champions League Semi Final for four minutes of the entire game when they went 1-0 up but this could have been possible after the 90th minute if players such as Fabregas, Gallas, Song and Arshavin were on.

However with respect to Barcelona, they too were missing very important players such as Ibrahimovic, Puyol and Pique. But I still believe Arsenal missed a glorious chance to make it to the Champions League Semi Final where they would have faced Inter Milan.

Instead, Barcelona will face Inter Milan in the Champions League Semi Final who they played in the group stages of the 2009-2010 Champions League.

The Barcelona Vs Inter Milan clash will be a real test for Barcelona with Ibrahimovic returning back to the San Siro and Eto’O and mourinho returning to the Nou Camp.

Inter Milan Vs Barcelona Champions League Semi-final 1st leg to be played on 20 April at the San Siro.

NationalTurk – Sports / John Steel
john-steel@nationalturk.com

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