'Pure filth': Messi punishes United in brutal moment of magic

Lionel Messi proved again why opposition defences can’t give him the slightest opportunity after a brutal masterclass against Manchester United.

The Argentine scored twice as Barcelona strolled past Manchester United and into the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in four years.

Messi’s first-half goals – the second a gift from goalkeeper David de Gea – and Philippe Coutinho’s superb 61st-minute strike helped Barca to a 3-0 victory on Tuesday night and 4-0 aggregate success over United.

The first goal from Messi came from an Ashley Young mistake that was punished in the most brutal of circumstances.

The English defender was caught dawdling on the ball as Ivan Rakitic got a telling tackle that deflected the ball in-field.

Young threw a desperate lunge out to try and retrieve the ball but Messi beat him to it, before bamboozling Fred with a nutmeg and unleashing a pin-point strike into the bottom corner of de Gea’s goal.

The moment of brilliance and Messi’s second goal – gifted to him by a de Gea howler – saw the Barca ace take his goal-scoring tally to 110 for the competition.

It also sees the Argentine set a new record for goals against English sides – his 24 strikes the most by an individual player.

The Barcelona star’s brilliance was not lost on fans who praised the Argentine’s insatiable appetite for goals and ruthless efficiency.

The return of United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the Nou Camp – where he scored a last-gasp winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final – brought no new joy as the Red Devils were unable to produce another upset after they ousted Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round.

Five-time winners Barca are among the last four for the first time since 2015 – when they went on to win the trophy a fifth time – as they ended their quarter-final curse after three successive early exits.

They survived an early scare when Marcus Rashford hit the post within the first minute before Messi gave them a 16th-minute lead and de Gea’s howler four minutes later gave the Argentine his 110th goal of the competition.

Coutinho rounded out the scoring when he found the top right corner from long range.

“We were spectacular,” Messi told BeIN Sport. “It’s another little step towards our goal.”

In Italy, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was not enough for Juventus against giant-killers Ajax.

The Dutch four-time champions have now ousted both 2018 finalists, after they stunned three-time reigning champions Real Madrid in the last 16, to reach the last four for the first time in 22 years.

Like in the first leg, Ronaldo headed Juve ahead against Ajax but his dream of a sixth personal title was ended by goals from Donny van de Beek and 19-year-old captain Matthijs de Ligt as the Dutch won 2-1 in Turin and 3-2 on aggregate.

“This is huge. No one will forget this night,” Van de Beek told broadcasters Veronica.

“We are not afraid of anyone,” De Ligt said on Sky TV.

It is the first time since 2010 that Ronaldo has failed to reach the last four, having won the competition the last three years in a row with Madrid.

“He’s disappointed as we all are but we can’t be dragged down by this disappointment,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said.

Ajax will play the winners of the Premier League duel between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur while Barca will face Porto or Liverpool.

The semi-finals are April 30/May 1 and May 7/8, with the June 1 final at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium.

Juve took the lead at home against Ajax on 28 minute when Ronaldo nodded home off a corner for his 126th goal in the competition.

But Ajax were level six minutes later through Van de Beek while De Ligt’s thumping header off a corner in the 67th proved decisive for the visitors.

With agencies