Barcelona, Inter win to set up semifinal
Published:Tuesday | April 6, 2010 | 5:52 PM
Lionel Messi scored four times as hosts Barcelona beat Arsenal of England 4-1 today to reach the Champions League semifinals for the third straight year.
Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal hope with his 18th-minute opener, but Messi took over after that at the Camp Nou in Spain.
Messi took advantage of a misplayed ball by Mikael Silvestre to equalize in the 21st and then put the defending champions ahead in the 37th by capping a smart buildup with a shot into the top of goal.
Messi ensured a hat trick from a break in the 42nd by scooping over goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, and scored his 39th of the season with two minutes to play.
Messi is the competition\'s top scorer with eight goals and the first player to score four goals in a two-legged series.
After taking the series 6-3 overall, Barcelona plays group stage rival Inter Milan next after the Serie A champions beat CSKA Moscow 2-nil on aggregate.
On Wednesday, Manchester United, which lost to Barcelona in last season\'s final, are trying to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Bayern Munich, while Lyon take a 3-1 advantage to Bordeaux in an all-French quarterfinal.