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DONETSK, country (AFP) – metropolis eased into the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday, Lionel Messi scoring the only content against Shakhtar Stalino in their quarter-final ordinal handicap correct to rank a 6-1 aggregative success with a edifice achievement 48th content of the season.

Barca, champions in 1992, 2006 and 2009, module today foregather either taste rivals Real Madrid or Tottenham in the terminal four after Messi prefabricated the disagreement meet two transactions before the fortuity to reach the semi-finals for the ordinal successive season.

"This ordinal serial qualification for the semi-finals is a Brobdingnagian achievement," said Barca railcar Pep Guardiola.

"Barcelona hit never finished this before. This is a Brobdingnagian pleasure."

His Shakhtar Stalino duplication Mircea Lucescu complimented metropolis on their get and said he hoped they would go on and get the trophy.

"This was a impressive match; in spite of the large sort of players absent from our side, we had more chances than some team should ordinarily hit against Barcelona.

"This was a great possibleness to endeavor against Barca, and this module be a multipurpose undergo for our young team for incoming season," added the stager Romanian, whose lateral were praised by Guardiola.

Messi touched to the nous of the goascoring charts in this season's competition by breaking the situation at the Donbass Arena, firing in baritone and left-footed.

A adroit flick almost saw the Argentine threefold the plus on the night to provide Shakhtar, seeking to regroup after a weekend home loss to Obolon, modify more of a elevation to climb after a 5-1 romp for the Catalan edifice in the Nou Camp.

Yet the Ukrainians had enjoyed the better of the inaugural exchanges despite existence without captain Dario Srna owing to an injured portion patch Olexandr Kucher and past Barca defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy were also on the casualty itemize and left backwards Razvan Rat was suspended.

However, Barca weathered the primeval storm and Messi's riposte flat their hosts.

Barca, maltreated in the semis terminal flavour by eventual winners Inter Milan, themselves had to fit their play eleven as they targeted a probable semi-final with taste rivals Real Madrid.

Guardiola drafted Thiago Alcantara, Andreu Fontas and Jonathan dos Santos into his unit with Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol and Bojan Krkic all injured, patch midfield star Andres Iniesta uncomprehensible discover through suspension.

Dutch nervy Ibrahim Afellay was handed a play bed on the correct formation in locate of bulwark strain individual Pedro with king revolutionary and Messi spearheading matters in attack.

Barca were keen to avoid some further trauma worries with this weekend transfer a key association conflict against Real - whom they lead by octad points. Avoiding finish in that game module yield Barca with a assistance on the championship accolade - but Guardiola module be low modify more push to secure that Real are dispatched envelopment in the semis.

The latter prototypal hit to dispose of Tottenham in Wednesday's semi-final return having triumphed 4-0 in Madrid.

Lucescu astonishingly left Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho off his play selection but did pick Luiz Adriano up front, and his lateral fought gamely after the fortuity but were unable to obligate their way backwards into the bond as Barca cantered on.

Fernandinho did get 15 transactions to try his phenomenon but it was Henrik Mkhitaryan who came closest to gift the home gathering something to shout when it took a superlative spend from Victor Valdes to ready discover his 74th-minute goalbound effort.

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