April 9, 2009
Star Sport

 
Barca, Chelsea in cruise control

Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic (right) celebrates his goal with Michael Essien (centre) and Salomon Kalou during their Champions League quarter-final first-leg football match against Liverpool at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium yesterday. - ap

BARCELONA, Spain (AP)

Barcelona rolled over Bayern Munich 4-0 yesterday in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, and Chelsea came back to earn a 3-1 win at Liverpool.

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

In Liverpool, Branislav Ivanovic scored his first two goals for Chelsea and Didier Drogba added a third after Fernando Torres had given the host team the lead.

English rivals Liverpool and Chelsea are meeting in a Champions League knockout round for the fourth time in five years. Liverpool won the first two, but Chelsea advanced last year before losing the final to Manchester United.

The winner of each two-leg series will meet next month in the semi-finals.

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 then 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 centring 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.

Liverpool attacked Chelsea from the outset at Anfield, but after taking the early lead, Chelsea's threat was growing. Ivanovic soon raced in undetected between Martin Skrtel and Albert Riera and soared to meet Florent Malouda's corner for the equaliser in the 39th minute.

Chelsea nearly took the lead in the 51st but Jamie Carragher cleared a shot from Drogba off the line after the Côte d'Ivoire striker had taken hold of Fabio Aurelio's back pass.

Ivanovic, however, replicated his first goal by beating Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina after rising to meet a corner from Frank Lampard in the 62nd.

In the second leg, Chelsea will be without captain John Terry. The central defender got a yellow card for running into Reina and will have to sit out the team's next match.

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