<
        >

          Lionel Messi 'brutal' as Barcelona batter Bayern - media

          • Dermot Corrigan
          • Stephan Uersfeld
          May 7, 2015, 05:05 AM ET

          Lionel Messi's sensational two-goal performance unsurprisingly dominated the media coverage on the morning after Barcelona's 3-0 Champions League semifinal first leg win over Bayern Munich.

          In Spain, Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo read: "Herr Messi. Leo brings Barca near to Berlin with two goals, the second for his highlights reel. He smashes the resistance of a good Bayern side, who Neymar finished off on the counter-attack."

          Sport: "Thanks Messi -- Nice guy, brutal, unstoppable. Yes, Yes, Yes, We're going to Berlin. The Camp Nou goes crazy for Messi's two golazos, and one from Neymar, which have Barca with one foot in the final."

          Marca: Messi devours Pep: two goals in three minutes from the Argentine put Barca with one foot and a half in Berlin

          AS: Pep was spot on, Messi really is unstoppable

          "Even when he gets it all wrong, Guardiola is absolutely right. Bayern's coach made it clear in yesterday's news conference that tonight's meeting between his team and Barça was so finely-poised that only a genius like Leo Messi could decide it. And Messi popped up after 76 minutes of football played at the highest level, with players on both sides heavy-legged and starting to flag; Messi finally found a way past the wall that was Manuel Neuer to put the Catalans ahead. From that moment, the Blaugrana No.10 had the game in the palm of his hand -- minutes later he produced a museum piece, bursting past Boateng before dinking the ball over Neuer with the most delicate of chips to put Barça 2-0 up."

          El Pais: Messi destroys Guardiola's great work

          "Messi does not sweat, does not scream, nor does he cry. The No. 10 appeared like a god at the moment when the game was Bayern's, when the [home] fans were convinced that 0-0 would be a good result."

          El Periodico: Messi swallows up a great Bayern team

          "Three minutes could count for 180. Not even two percent of the total of the Champions League semifinals. But they could be decisive. Three minutes of climax in the Camp Nou, in the middle of an orgy of football, the most seductive in the world. Not the tallest, nor the most handsome, nor the strongest. But the most talented. There's no need to say his name. You can probably guess."

          In Germany, the focus was not much different.

          Bild: Messi dances past Bayern! And out?

          "Until the 77th minute, Manuel Neuer was Man of the Match. But then the Barcelona attack started to roll. Messi twice danced past the German champion. And Neymar too. 3-0 within 17 minutes. What needs to happen in the next reverse fixture next Tuesday, so that Bayern can reach the final in Berlin? The word miracle is not enough. Pep Guardiola saw it coming all the way. He told a news conference before the match: 'It's impossible to stop him. You can't control Messi.'"

          Kicker: One Neuer on his own is not enough against this Super-Messi

          "Pep Guardiola did not exaggerate. Lionel Messi, the FC Bayern coach said in the build-up to the semifinal in his Catalan home, is unstoppable once he displays his wonderful talent. And not even the splendid Manuel Neuer has the chance to meet him with efficient resistance. CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had wished for a result to leave them with a chance in the second leg. The 3-0 defeat is by no means such a result. Next Tuesday, only a miracle can book FC Bayern a place in the Berlin final."

          Spiegel Online: The downfall

          "Again and again there were those magic Messi moments. He shot through three defenders from 17 meters for his first goal, and he played Boateng that dizzy so that the World Cup winner fell to the ground before the second, only to beat Neuer with chip. For long periods, Bayern and FC Barcelona played an outstanding match. The intensity! The pressing! The passes! Football can't get much better than what was shown in the first half. The difference between the two sides right now: Barca not only plays beautiful, but also efficient. And that's what makes them the favourites to win the Champions League."

          Suddeutsche Zeitung: Bayern collapses

          "For one hour and a quarter the FC Bayern Munich players did a decent job [to control Messi]. Indeed, Messi had a lot of ball contract. But he did not miracles. And because in the perception Munich fielded an invalid XI against the most dangerous Barcelona in years, that was a minor sensation. But then: Messi got the ball, could not be controlled, could not be stopped. Scored twice within four minutes."

          TZ: Messi gala jeopardises dream of final. Bye, Bye, Bayern? 3-0 defeat in Barcelona

          "For 77 minutes, Bayern already had one foot in the Berlin final, but they reckoned with Lionel Messi. The four-time World Footballer of the Year brought down Munich within three minutes, made a 2-0 out of a 0-0, and then also set up Neymar in injury time. Through the late knockout at Barcelona, the final recedes into the distance for the Reds."

          Die Zeit: Messi is better than Gotze after all

          "FC Bayern and Pep Guardiola receive a private lesson with the ball in Barcelona. They now face the Champions League exit. And bigger debates. It was brilliant game, a match full of speed, esprit and wit. Even the two keepers joined in. The first 15 minutes were anarchy. It's quite possible that in those minutes, and probably generally speaking, the two best teams in the world faced each other. But the gap between the two on that day was surprising. Messi showed the world who really is better than him: No one!"