Barcelona and Inter set up semifinal clash

Barcelona winger Lionel Messi hit four goals past Arsenal as the holder stormed into the Champions League semifinals and a meeting with Inter Milan after the Italian champion ousted CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

While Inter's 2-0 aggregate victory over CSKA clinched a first semifinal appearance in seven years, Barcelona is in the last four for the third consecutive season after beating Arsenal 6-3 over the two legs. Barcelona won 4-1 on Tuesday.

“I would have preferred to have another rival — another opponent,” Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. “But this is the team we play.”

Barcelona had been stunned by injury-depleted Arsenal in the 19th minute at the Nou Camp when Nicklas Bendtner gave the English Premier League title contender a 3-2 aggregate lead.

But Messi responded with a hat-trick before half-time and a fourth in the closing minutes to send Barcelona through.

“I hope I can keep this up,” Messi said. “I think this team is making history like we did last year. It's all in our hands.”

Positive start

Arsenal had started out more positively than at the Emirates Stadium last week when its goal was blitzed by Barcelona, although the first leg ended 2-2.

Arsenal's plan was to pounce on the counterattack while hoping for errors by Gabriel Milito, who was starting a European match for the first time in nearly two years.

The strategy paid off after Samir Nasri poked free from Milito and Abou Diaby released Theo Walcott, who in turn passed to Bendtner.

Although Daniel Alves managed to disrupt Bendtner's initial shot, which was stopped by goalkeeper Victor Valdes, the striker was up quickly to stab home his rebound.

Messi strikes

Arsenal's lead was short-lived as Messi took advantage of an error by Mikael Silvestre, who played Messi's poor pass right back to him on the edge of the area.

Messi continued his run before curling into the top corner in the 21st.

Messi started the move that led to Barcelona's second in the 37th.

Having been fed by Messi, Eric Abidal's low cross was blocked, but only as far as Pedro, who knocked the loose ball to Messi to clip over Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

The Spanish champion was in complete control and Messi raced onto Seydou Keita's headed pass and flicked the ball again over Almunia in the 42nd to reach his hat-trick.

Messi capped his spectacular performance in the 88th by shooting through Almunia's legs after his initial shot was parried to score his fourth of the night.

“He's the best player I've ever faced and he's the best player in the world,” Almunia said. “It's very difficult to stop someone who has so many skills like that, who can do whatever they want with the ball.”

Mundane win

But Mourinho's Inter side couldn't match Barcelona's ruthless display as it produced a more mundane victory in Moscow.

Already leading 1-0 from the first leg, Wesley Sneijder doubled Inter's advantage in the sixth by firing a low free-kick through the wall which glanced off CSKA midfielder Keisuke Honda and beat goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev.

“True, maybe it wasn't the most exciting game, but the real prize was reaching the semifinals,” Mourinho said.

CSKA defender Chidi Odiah was sent off four minutes into the second half after receiving a second yellow card for fouling Samuel Eto'o.

The results: At Barcelona: Barcelona 4 (Messi 21, 37, 42, 87) bt Arsenal 1 (Bendtner 18); Barcelona won 6-3 on aggregate.

At Moscow CSKA Moscow 0 lost to Inter Milan 1 (Sneijder 6); Inter Milan won 2-0 on aggregate . — AP