Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar each scored in a 3-1 win over visiting Arsenal on Wednesday that gave Barcelona, the defending champion, a 5-1 victory on aggregate and sent the team into the Champions League quarterfinals for a ninth consecutive season.
Three weeks after Messi scored both goals in a 2-0 first leg win, Suárez passed for Neymar to open the scoring in the 18th minute.
Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny struck in the 51st minute, and the English side threatened to add another before Suárez answered with an acrobatic goal in the 65th.
Messi chipped in Barcelona’s third goal with two minutes to play following two timely stops by goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen to protect the lead.
Arsenal Coach Arsène Wenger, whose side was eliminated from the round of 16 for a sixth straight year, said Barcelona’s strike trio had taken the game to the level of “art.”
“We played against the team with the best strikers I have seen,” Wenger said. “The three together are exceptional. Messi is incredible. They are two or three players who transform normal life into art.”
Barcelona increased its Spanish record streak to 38 unbeaten games, and stayed on course to repeat its triple feat of winning the European Cup, the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey titles.
Arsenal bowed out of the F.A. Cup last weekend and now must focus on catching Tottenham and Leicester in the English Premier League standings.
BAYERN WINS IN EXTRA TIME Thomas Müller tied the score in the first minute of injury time, and Bayern Munich scored two more goals in extra time to complete a thrilling 4-2 victory at home against Juventus and send Bayern into the Champions League quarterfinals.
Thiago Alcantara scored in the 108th minute to put Bayern ahead for good in the second leg match of the last 16, and Kingsley Coman, on loan from Juventus, added the fourth goal just two minutes later to seal a 6-4 victory on aggregate.
Bayern trailed, 2-0, at halftime after goals from Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado put Juventus firmly in charge. Bayern looked to be on the way out until a score by Robert Lewandowski in the 73rd and Müller’s late header changed everything.
“To score four goals against an Italian side, wow, compliments to my team,” Bayern Coach Pep Guardiola said.
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