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Barcelona rolls over Bayern

BARCELONA rolled over Bayern Munich 4-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals at Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi scored two goals and Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry added the others as Barcelona gave itself a huge advantage heading into Tuesday's second leg in Munich.

Messi, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions this season, gave Barcelona the lead in the ninth minute. Eto'o dragged two defenders away before passing to the Argentina winger, who coolly rolled it past goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt.

Messi later set up Eto'o for a nearly identical goal in the 13th after anticipating the Cameroon striker's run. In the 38th, Messi redirected Henry's centering pass into goal for his eighth in the competition. Henry rolled the final goal past Butt in the 43rd after Messi dropped the ball off for Eto'o and the ball fell to the France striker.

Messi, Eto'o and Henry have combined for 89 of Barcelona's 126 goals this season.

"We had a very good performance but it's only the first game of the quarterfinals," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "We'll try to reach the semifinals and then we'll decide what we're going to do. We're still not in the semifinals yet."

Guardiola wanted a penalty early in the first half after Christian Lell barged into Messi as he moved around the Bayern defender in the area, but referee Howard Webb declined.

"I wasn't able to control myself. I'm like that," Guardiola said. "The penalty was clear."

Butt was filling in for regular keeper Michael Rensing.

Franck Ribery and Ze Roberto had Bayern's best chances, but the France winger sliced a shot wide and the Brazilian had his attempt blocked by Barcelona defender Carles Puyol.

"The only way to get the team back on track is to focus on the Bundesliga now," Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann said. "It will be a short night. A defeat like that is hard to digest."




 

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