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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has seemingly continued his long feud with Pep Guardiola, stating that anyone could reach the Champions League final with Lionel Messi.
Speaking after his team was almost single-handedly defeated by Messi in the Nou Camp, Bayern Munich manager Guardiola stated that there is nothing you can do to stop the brilliant Argentinian.
Having already said that there are ways to stop Messi - and doing so plenty of times himself - Mourinho appeared to take a dig at Guardiola's stellar record, by pointing out he was fortunate to have Messi in his team.
Bayern Munich are on the brink of a second successive Champions League semi-final exit, whilst at Barcelona Guardiola won the competition twice in three years.
Show all 24 1 /24Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Marc-Andre ter Stegen Pressured by Bayern front line in attempt to hurry passing game. Escaped when Lewandowski missed cross but had fairly little to do. 6/10
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Dani Alves Played a key part in quarter-final win over PSG and went close to scoring but denied by Neuer. Booked for pulling back Lewandowski. 7
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Gerard Pique Censured for taking out Lewandowski shortly before hosts went ahead. Kept position but not troubled as much as may have feared beforehand. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Javier Mascherano Stationed in makeshift back role he has become accustomed to. Rushed and harried by German visitors but calm in control and in his decision-making. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Jordi Alba Played his part both at back and going forward, never stopping running all night. Beaten by Müller early on. Forced Boateng to rush a clearance. 7
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Ivan Rakitic Scored winner against Man City and was again the Croatian cog who kept the Catalans ticking over. Constantly probing and picking out team-mates. 8
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Sergio Busquets Laid the groundwork to allow his more celebrated colleagues to shine further upfield. Strong in the tackle and careful in possession all night. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Andres Iniesta Delightful ball over Bayern back line was not converted by Alves. Danced through German midfield on occasion. Brought down by Benatia. 7
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Lionel Messi What else can be said? Smacked shot straight at Neuer but drove past German for first before impudent, glorious second. Set up the third for good measure. 9
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Luis Suarez Has been in superb form and started with menacing intent. Went down easily early on in optimistic penalty shout before being denied by Neuer. 7
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Neymar Denied within sight of the goal-line by desperate block from countryman Rafinha. Halted by onrushing Neuer before curling over. Wasteful with shots. 7
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Best off the bench: Xavi Integral to Barça’s three Champions League triumphs of the last decade but reduced to bit part in what may be his final days at the Nou Camp. 6
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Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Manuel Neuer World’s number one No 1 did not look like being beaten before final 15 minutes, denying Suarez, Alves, Messi and Neymar. And then it all fell apart. 7/10
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Rafinha Formed part of experimental back line and struggled to keep check of home side’s runs. Made vital block as Neymar slid in but unable to prevent late goals. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Medhi Benatia Caught playing offside as Suarez was allowed to race through alone and Guardiola’s risky formation was hastily altered. Booked for foul on Iniesta. 5
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Jerome Boateng Touched Suarez over in area but with nowhere near enough intent to cede spot-kick. Made to look foolish – one of many – by Messi for hosts’ second. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Philipp Lahm Had hands full with defensive duties as the Spanish club made the early running. Brought down Messi to halt one attack before the interval. 7
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Xabi Alonso Former Liverpool man was first to enter the referee’s book. Linked up well with Lahm as he was booed by home crowd for his Real Madrid links. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Thiago Alcantara Instrumental in last month’s thrashing of Porto and saw shot momentarily trouble Ter Stegen. Has work to do to match heights of Barça last night. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Bastian Schweinsteiger Struggled to influence proceedings as he enters twilight of career. Fortunate to stay on pitch after coming-together with Suarez. 5
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Juan Bernat Diminutive Spaniard carelessly gave away possession to Messi to allow Argentine to open the scoring. Did not impress on return to his homeland. 5
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Robert Lewandowski Lacked vital touch as ball was fired in to him underneath the Barça crossbar by Müller. Kept close to Alves after break to limit damage from left flank. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Thomas Muller Worked forward line well and also dropped out to the wings to retrieve lost causes. Beat Alba to feed Lewandowski but lost at sea as Barça prevailed. 6
Barcelona 3 Bayern Munich 0 player ratings Best off the bench: Mario Gotze Entered fray after Barcelona went ahead in an attempt to provide more firepower but unable to achieve parity before Barcelona sealed victory.
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"One thing is a team. Another thing is a team with Messi, it’s a different story," said Mourinho, spelling out just how decisive Messi was. "He played a Champions League final with Guardiola [2009 and 2011].
"He – normally – is playing a Champions League final with Luis Enrique [2015]. And if one day he plays for Anthony [Portuguese for 'Joe Bloggs'], Anthony will go to a Champions League final with him.
"So when people analyse teams, you have to remember that this boy makes everything different, he makes everything different."
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