Unstoppable Lionel Messi Proves Pep Guardiola Right in Most Painful Way

CAMP NOU, BARCELONA — If Pep Guardiola wasn't Pep Guardiola, then there might be the smallest crumb of comfort in being completely and utterly right about Lionel Messi being unstoppable. But Pep is Pep, and he left the Camp Nou totally deflated on Wednesday night, with the game up for the former Barcelona boss.

In his post-match press conference he was understandably down, croaky, bleary-eyed, exactly what you'd expect of a coach who cares as much as he does. Who can't go for five minutes without thinking and speaking about football.

It's virtually impossible to see Bayern Munich going through in the tie, and this win will go some way to avenging the 7-0 aggregate mauling that Barcelona suffered in 2013, at the hands of the Bavarians.

Pep won't want to read them, but this is what he said about the Barcelona No. 10 on May 5, the eve of what was to follow.

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"I don't think you can stop Messi. If he's how I think he will be, he's too good, so you have to try and limit him in another way. I don't think there is a system, a coach or a defender in the world who can stop him."

Pep said he wasn't here for a homage, only to do his job. In the end, he didn't get a homage and didn't do his job.

The Camp Nou has a new hero, one whose name was ringing around the stadium. Not Messi, though, whose name too echoed from the rafters and reverberated from the north goal to the south.

But Luis Enrique, whose perfectly drilled breakaway football is at once so similar and so different to the way Barcelona played in their golden days, under Pep.

Barcelona were on top in this one, but all was going to plan until the 77th minute. Messi clearly decided that this was enough time to let his former "father" stand uncomfortably, but still stand, on the edge of the technical area that used to be his.

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Messi darted into action. He hadn't been quiet before, creating opportunities for Neymar and Suarez. Starting moves, dropping out of them and then rushing back in where Bayern least expected it. But it was still 0-0.

So Messi took the ball from Dani Alves, who had capitalised on a Juan Bernat error. On the edge of the box. First step, second step, bang. A hammer drive from the Argentinian that thwacked into the back of the previously brilliant Manuel Neuer's net. And the can was open, the door unlocked.

And not only did Messi open it, but he proceeded to storm through it and tear the place down. Three minutes later, he took the ball from Ivan Rakitic, drifting into the box, faced by Jerome Boateng. Time stood still for one second, then seemed to lurch into double speed, as one touch by Messi sent him and the ball to the right, and Boateng downward, into oblivion.

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Faced now with Neuer, the giant goalkeeper, he pulled out a trick that he used far more in the Pep Guardiola era than nowadays, daintily chipping his opponent. It was an ice-cool finish in a fiery cauldron. Camp Nou ignited.

They screamed his name like a god, bowing down to the striker. Pep had done similar with his words on Tuesday in the press conference. And despite how well he knew the threat, he could do nothing about it.