Lionel Messi Passes Cristiano Ronaldo as Champions League Record Goalscorer

Lionel Messi's second goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final didn't just astonish anyone watching with its sheer brilliance. It didn't just give Barcelona two goals and a crucial 3-0 lead on a aggregate either, with the second leg in Germany. 

No, it also helped Messi surpass his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, for most goals scored in Champions League history a day after the Real Madrid man went ahead of him with a goal against Juventus. 

Squawka Football has more:  

OptaJohan on Twitter broke down how he's scored every goal:

Both of his tallies against Bayern Munich were sublime. On his first goal in the second half he pulled off the unthinkable, beating all-world 'keeper Manuel Neuer at the near post after cutting in on his left foot from outside of the box. 

The second was even more breathtaking, however, as he deked defender Jerome Boateng so deftly that the Bayern Munich man simply fell over backwards before lofting a lovely chip over Neuer and out of reach of the Bayern defenders racing back to cover their 'keeper. 

Bayern Munich certainly knew containing Messi would be difficult, as manager Pep Guardiola noted before the match, per ESPN FC:

As soccer writer Juan Arango noted, there was little the German side could do against that sort of display:

But indeed, that's what Messi does—to the point that we've collectively run out of adjectives to describe his brilliance. Messi will probably cite Barca's key 3-0 victory in the Champions League match as a far more important result than surpassing Ronaldo's record, but no one will soon forget the sheer beauty with which he retook the Champions League scoring lead. 

Messi quite simply is the best.