BARCELONA, March 12, (RTRS): Barcelona pulled off a remarkable Champions League comeback when Lionel Messi scored twice in a thrilling 4-0 home win over AC Milan on Tuesday that sent the Spaniards through to the last eight 4-2 on aggregate.
Trailing from last month’s last 16, first leg at the San Siro, Barca were ahead in the fifth minute at a raucous Nou Camp thanks to Messi’s brilliant curling effort and the World Player of the Year levelled the tie on aggregate five minutes before halftime with a powerful low drive.
Barca ruthlessly dominated the Italians, who struggled to get the ball out of their own half for long periods, and David Villa struck a third for the hosts 10 minutes after the break before Jordi Alba killed off Milan with a breakaway goal in the second minute of added time.
Barca are the first team in the Champions League to ever overturn a two-goal first leg deficit without the benefit of an away goal while only four sides had successfully fought back from a deficit of more than one goal.

“We started really fired up, as you have seen. The early goal helped us a lot, but it was something we looked for from the first minute,” Villa told Spanish television.
“We believed we could do it from the first minute, in fact from the final whistle of the last game.
“We are delighted for the fans. We always believed we could do it. For them, and with them, we have done it.”
Roared on by close to 90,000 supporters inside their giant arena, fired-up Barca harried and hassled Milan from the start.
The early goal they desperately needed arrived when Messi exchanged passes with Xavi on the edge of the Milan area and curled a brilliant shot into the top corner that left goalkeeper Christian Abbiati rooted to the spot.
Milan were under increasing pressure and Abbiati palmed an Iniesta volley against the crossbar eight minutes later before a long-range Xavi strike flew narrowly wide.
Barca’s intensity dipped as the half wore on and Milan came within a whisker of snatching the goal that would have meant the hosts needed to score at least three times to go through.

Barcelona centre back Javier Mascherano misjudged a header and Milan striker M’Baye Niang raced clear but his low shot crashed back off the post with home keeper Victor Valdes beaten.
Moments later Barca doubled their lead on the night and drew level at 2-2 on aggregate. Andres Iniesta won the ball in midfield and fed Messi who smashed a low drive past Abbiati from just outside the penalty area.
Barca continued to dominate in the second half and Villa justified his inclusion in the starting lineup when Xavi sent him clear on the right and he struck a perfect left-foot shot high into the corner.
The Spain forward made way for Alexis Sanchez 15 minutes from time and it was the Chilean who set up Alba to fire home Barca’s fourth which eased the tension among the home fans and killed off Milan’s hopes.
The Serie A side had pressed forward looking for the goal that would have sent them through but Barca held out relatively comfortably to keep alive their dream of a third European crown in five years.

In Gelsenkirchen, Germany Hamit Altintop scored a stunning 30-metre goal to set Galatasaray on the way to a 3-2 win at Schalke 04 which sent them into the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Turkish side went through 4-3 on aggregate after handing Schalke their first defeat of the competition.
Roman Neustaedter gave Schalke an early lead but former Schalke man Altintop pulled the Turkish side level in the 37th minute when he collected a free kick and scored with a shot which swerved away from Timo Hildebrand and went in off the post.
Burak Yilmaz stunned the hosts by putting Galatasaray ahead with a breakaway goal five minutes later, his eighth of the competition.
Michel Bastos levelled for Schalke 04 just after the hour but the Germans could not find the winner despite dominating the closing stages, with Umut Bulut snatching a win for Galatasaray in injury time.
Galatasaray started well with forward Didier Drogba shooting wide from outside the area in the fifth minute and he then saw a fierce left-foot effort palmed away by Hildebrand one minute later after Wesley Sneijder slipped the ball to him on the left.

Hildebrand also did well to stop Selcuk Inan’s shot from a narrow angle after Drogba played him through.
Schalke’s opener came completely against the run of play when Neustaedter fired home from six metres after the Turks failed to clear a corner in the 17th minute.
But the visitors continued to enjoy more possession and turned the game around in a dramatic five-minute spell.
Altintop levelled with his first goal for the club and soon afterwards a Schalke attack broke down, Albert Riera slid in and his long clearance found Yilmaz, who outmuscled Benedikt Hoewedes and flicked the ball past Hildebrand.
Galatasaray chose to sit on their lead after halftime but the tactic backfired as they were penned into their half.
Teemu Pukki had a shot saved by Fernando Muslera at the foot of the post, Julian Draxler nearly scored after beating four defenders in a weaving run and Marco Hoeger smashed a shot against the crossbar as Schalke took control.
Michel Bastos finally levelled in the 64th minute following another scramble in the Galatasaray area.
Muslera denied Draxler with a stunning reflex save as Schalke poured forward without further success and the Turks made their progression safe late on.