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By Greg Robertson
Hello and welcome to the second leg of the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2012 where we have Barcelona with a two goal lead now at home at Camp Nou and a Leverkusen side surely streaming forward to try and net a few.
Watch the highlights as they unfold live and every time we add a video we will warn you – make sure you refresh your page as to not miss any of the action.
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LIVE COMMENTARY… FINAL Barcelona 7 – 1 Leverkusen (10-2 aggregate) ALL VIDEO UP
Football fans, I'm tired... but not tired of watching Messi score... what a game. It's all over folks and Barcelona has won.
90 mins: Bellarabi gets one back. Video up up.
84 mins: Lionel Messi scores five! Video up. He's the first man ever to score five goals in the Champions League history. Bloody legend!
80 mins: If it stays like this it's Barcelona's biggest win ever in the UEFA Champions League beating a 5-0 win they had a while back. A corner here might add to the total... thumping header from Keita is over the top.
77 mins: Tello killing Schwaab down the left hand side of the park, does the ol' leg over the ball but it doesn't work this time. That could have been another one right then.... Messi finds Pedro and Pedro delivers a delightful ball across the face of the box.
It's taken me some time but ALL VIDEO UP. Enjoy the goal-fest
72 mins: The crowd has been treated here.... many will be wanting to put Leverkusen out of their misery as another couple of goals are on the cards.
68 mins: Rare venture for Leverkusen into the Barca half comes to nothing and the home side now is just pushing the pill around.
66 mins: Well I'm slowly catching up as we have had a goal-fest and make sure there may be more to come as it's Barca, Barca and Barca in total control.
61 mins: Tello gets a double...mayhem on the pitch and in this office as I try and keep up cutting all the video. Video up soon.
58 mins: Messi has four! Video up.
55 mins: GOAL! Tello this time getting in on the scoring action as again the Leverkusen defence is broken by a through ball and the young fella finished well. Video up.
49 mins: Messi gets a hat-trick! Super. the double became three when Messi produced an ever better chip after a superb touch and great run for his hat-trick. Video up.
46 mins: Early action with Barcelona - surprise, surprise and Barca absolutely carve up the Leverkusen defence. Should have scored. Video up of some pretty football.
Welcome back the the Nou Camp for the second half.
Referee blows the halftime whistle and puts Leverkusen out of their misery - at least for 15 minutes. HALFTIME Barcelona 2-0 over Leverkusen. See you after the break. ALL VIDEO UP.
42 mins: Messia bags a double - GOAL! Great run by Iniesta finds Messi on the right and he cuts back against the flow of defenders, finds a left foot and slams it into the bottom corner of the net giving Leno no chance. Video up.
39 mins: Leverkusen just have no weapons big enough to cause harm to the Barca defebnce. They haven't panicked yet and the few breaks the visitors have had have been handled with zero drama.
33 mins: Xavi has a shot from distance and again he blasts over the bar. He's leaning a little back as he strikes... that's rich, I'm giving advice to Xavi on shooting.
31 mins: Messi free on the right cuts back in to his left peg but Leverkusen get bodies in front and his shot blasts into one of them.
30 mins: Leverkusen now putting on a little pressure of their own but the Barca defence continues to stand strong.
25 mins: GOAL! Messi brilliant! He broke away and then chipped the keeper. Brilliant! Video up.
23 mins: Derdiyok can't catch up to his first touch which is like a trampoline. Barcelona breaks fast, Iniesta again dribbling strongly and is chopped by Castro. Two man wall on the angle.... Xavi delivers a delightful ball and it only needed a stronger touch. Another chance missed by Barca. Video up.
18 mins: This time Iniesta tries to find Messi on the run through the heart of the defence - things just not quite clicking for the home side just yet.
17 mins: Fluent move on the left flank with Iniesta finding Messi and the magical one chipping it far post only for the run to have been a fraction early.
14 mins: Barcelona are camped deep in Leverkusen's half. The Leverkusen breaks and Derdiyok has a chance to head to a free Kiessling up front but it's a poor execution. Definite chance their for the visitors to put some pressure on Valdes's goal.
12 mins: Free kick 30 metres out Xavi over it... Mess time? No Xavi, and this time no deflection as it flies over the top of the crossbar.
10 mins: If we had a camera on Messi it would have caught the fact that Messi has had one touch in the match so far. Slow and subdued start... Messi gets another touch! Ohhhhhh Messi.... brilliant. Found a lob ball over the top and took it on his chest and smashed it at Leno in the sticks. The rebound gives Barcelona a couple of chances to score. Video up.
8 mins: Very little in the way of highlights so far as Barcelona are playing as though this is a training run so far... in complete control and waiting for the right opportunity to pounce.
5 mins: Messi finds Pedro wide right and he in turn finds Sergio who has his foot caught. result is a free kick to Barca just outside the penalty area. Five in the wall, Xavi and Messi scheming... Xavi flicks the top of the wall for a corner.
4 mins: Teams just settling into things... Leverkusen with two up front and Dani Alves just gives the ball away to Derdiyok but he fights back to regain possession then dribbles square across the face of the goal eight yards out under pressure - now that's confidence.
1 min: Early ball to Barcelona and they shift it, shift and shift it about... Leverkusen may have nothing to lose and can throw everything at the Barca defence but they will need to get hold of the ball first.
Kick off.... and we are underway...
We are getting our live pictures now... are you ready for this one? Messi is back... and a bit of a shout out to a fan in Australia Boston Fakafanua who emailed to say "Messi is magic"... summed up perfectly by the six-year-old.
The game isn’t far away so in the meantime watch yesterday’s Champions League highlights with Arsenal netting three against AC Milan.
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Teams
Barcelona (4-1-2-3) Valdes; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets; Xavi, Fabregas; Pedro, Messi, Iniesta.
Subs: Pinto, Keita, Muniesa, Sergi, Bartra, Tello, Cuenca.
Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1) Leno; Castro, Schwaab, Toprak, Kadlec; Bender, Rolfes; Reinartz, Kiessling, Renato Augusto; Derdiyok.
Subs: Giefer, Oczipka, Friedrich, Schurrie, Ortega, Zenga, Bellarabi.
Referee Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway).
Pregame banter
Barcelona are firm favourites to reach their fifth successive Champions League quarter-final when they take on German side Bayer Leverkusen in their last-16 second leg tie today.
The defending champions lead 3-1 from the first leg while Leverkusen are trying to win their first away game in Europe in nearly ten years.
Trailing 3-1, Bayer Leverkusen face the formidable task of becoming the first club in almost three decades to overturn a two-goal deficit at the Nou Camp to reach the Champions League quarterfinals.
Barcelona go into Wednesday's game comfortably on course to reach the quarter-finals for the fifth successive season.
The European champions have progressed 31 of 33 times when opening a two-leg series with a victory away from home, and not since a 4-1 defeat to Metz in 1984 have the Catalan club failed to close out a two-goal lead at home.
Despite that proud record coach Pep Guardiola is taking nothing for granted come the match.
The German side are on a good run and beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the weekend. But their away form is weak and they have not won on the road in Europe in nearly a decade.
History too favours Barca,
The Spanish champions have won all three last-16 home matches under coach Pep Guardiola, beating Bayern Munich, Stuttgart and Arsenal.
Barcelona are unbeaten in 13 European home games with 11 victories, they have also won nine successive games against German opposition, outscoring their opponents 24-4 during that run.
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source: newshub archive
