Lionel Messi produces magical goal out of nowhere against PSG in UCL clash: WATCH

Spanish giants Barcelona had pulled out a remontada against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi-final just a week ago, following their 0-2 opening leg defeat. Fans were hopeful of a similar display when the Blaugrana took on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. Although Mauricio Pochettino's men went on to defend their massive lead, Lionel Messi did not make it easy for the hosts, as he struck a blistering stunner in the first half. 

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Barcelona had a three-goal deficit ahead of their visit to Parc des Princes. And Ronald Koeman's dominant strategy to bag a couple of goals early in the first half was fairly evident with Barcelona holding on to possession, apart from several attacks initiated by Messi. 

Ousmane Dembele had a quite number of opportunities to put his side in the lead in the first half, but he struggled in front of Keylor Navas. Despite the travelling side's dominance, PSG went on to bag the lead in the 30th minute. Kylian Mbappe struck from the spot after Clement Lenglet's foul resulted in a penalty. 

PSG vs Barcelona: Messi scores outrageous stunner to bring up 120th UCL goal

Messi was seen dropping deep to open space for his teammates but found it difficult to impregnate the Parisians' defence. Ultimately, he decided to work out his magic from a distance. The 33-year-old went on to score a thunderous stunner from outside the box to cancel Mbappe's opener, with Keylor Navas unable to reach the ball. 

The strike meant Messi has now netted 120 goals in the top European club competition, achieving the milestone in 149 appearances. Meanwhile, his arch-rival and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way with 134 goals to his credit. 

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But there was still a twist in the tail. Barcelona were handed a penalty in the injury time of the first half after Layvin Kurzawa's brutal challenge on Antoine Griezmann. Messi stepped up for the spot-kick only for Navas to produce a sensational save to deny the Argentina international. 

Barcelona failed to maintain their attacking momentum in the second half. Although Messi and Sergio Busquets forced the former Real Madrid goalkeeper to produce two exceptional saves, Barcelona at large proved ineffective, leading to embarrassing Champions League results. Thus, Mauricio Pochettino's men went on to secure a berth in the quarter-final of the Champions League with an aggregate 5-2 scoreline, which confirmed the Champions League Barcelona exit.

Image courtesy: UCL Twitter