Champions League: APOEL into last eight as magic Messi scores five

Dionissis Chiotis was the hero as he saved twice in a penalty shootout to send Cypriot side APOEL into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Lyon.

With the score level at 3-3 in the shootout, Chiotis saved successive penalties from Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos to secure his side a place in the last eight on their first appearance in the knockout stages.

Gustavo Manduca scored the only goal of the night in normal time to cancel out Lacazette’s winner for Lyon in the first leg.

APOEL needed a quick goal to get their French opponents on the back foot, and that is what happened after nine minutes when the ball broke to Constantinos Charalambides in the area and his low cross was turned in at the far post by Manduca.

As normal time ran out, Ailton had the home fans on their feet when he charged into the area and went down under the challenge of two defenders, but referee Alberto Mallenco was in no mood to be conned and correctly showed a yellow card to the attacker for going to ground too easily.

Manduca picked up his second yellow card in extra time, leaving his side to play out the final five minutes a man light.

In the shootout, after both sides scored with their first three kicks, the deadlock was broken on Lyon’s fourth effort when Chiotis read Lacazette’s intentions to make a save low to his left, and after Trickovski had netted APOEL’s fourth, Chiotis made a carbon-copy stop from Bastos, sparking jubilation as the hosts became the first Cypriot side to reach the last eight.

Lionel Messi took Bayer Leverkusen apart with a record five-goal Champions League haul as Barcelona eased past the Germans and into the quarter- finals 7-1 on the night and 10-2 on aggregate.

The Argentine World Player of the Year was at his breathtaking best, becoming the first player to score five in a Champions League match as the holders handed out one of the most comprehensive drubbings in the competition’s history.

After they lost last month’s round of 16 first leg in Leverkusen 3-1, the Bundesliga side’s impossible mission was effectively ended when Messi sped on to Xavi’s lofted pass and scooped the ball over Bernd Leno in the 25th minute. He added a second with a trademark run across the defence and low shot three minutes before half-time and completed his hat-trick with another stunning chip, this time with his right foot, four minutes after the break. Substitute Cristian Tello netted twice either side of Messi’s fourth, which came after Leno spilled the ball at his feet, and the Argentine wizard bagged his fifth with a powerful strike six minutes from time before Leverkusen substitute Karim Bellarabi scored an added-time goal.