Barcelona through to CL quarters with easy win

Barcelona have taken another step to defending their European Champions League title after cruising through to the quarter-finals.

The Catalan giants hammered German outfit VfB Stuttgart 4-0 at the Nou Camp to progress 5-1 on aggregate thanks to a another dazzling display from Lionel Messi.

The Argentine maestro got Barcelona off to the perfect start with a brilliant goal in the 13th minute. After receiving the ball from Yaya Toure at the halfway line, Messi worked his way to the edge of the penalty area before rocketing a left-footed shot into the top corner and sending the champions on their way.

The lead on the night was doubled when Pedro slotted home ten minutes later and then Messi was at it again to make it 3-0 (4-1 on aggregate) on the hour-mark.

This time he drilled a low shot from 20 yards past Stuttgart keeper Jens Lehmann who later saved Messi’s chance for a hat-trick on two occasions.

The win was rounded out with a minute remaining when Bojan Krkic slid home after combining with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.