Brilliant Lionel Messi rescues game from chaos

Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 2. A brace of brilliant goals from Lionel Messi lit up a match that was otherwise a grim advertisement for the game. The Argentine striker struck late in the second half to virtually guarantee it will be Barcelona who advance to the Champions League final at Wembley on May 28 where they will almost certainly face Manchester United.

But while Messi's goals proved once more the magnificence of the man, the semi-final will be remembered for a series of ugly confrontations between some of the world's greatest players.

As well as giving a red card to Barcelona substitute keeper Jose Pinto for a scrap in the tunnel during half-time, referee Wolfgang Stark brandished five yellow cards before showing Real defender Pepe a red for a high and clumsy challenge on Dani Alves. That decision so infuriated Jose Mourinho that the Real boss became embroiled in a furious touchline altercation with a fourth official – Mourinho allegedly told him "well done" - and was consequently banished to the stand where he sat surrounded by security guards.

Even after Stark had blown the final whistle the drama continued with several Real players ushered from the field before they could confront the German referee, and later the two teams were ordered by UEFA to calm down before speaking to the press. Not that Mourinho took the advice.

Asked what he had done to warrant his dismissal from the dugout, the Portuguese coach replied: "I said nothing to the ref. I just laughed and applauded his decision with my fingers without really applauding. If I tell him and UEFA what I think my career will finish today... Sometimes it disgusts me to earn my crust in this world. We have to go there [the second leg] without Pepe who did nothing, without Sergio Ramos who did nothing to get booked, without the manager who can't be on the bench."

Mourinho then turned his wrath on Barcelona, claiming that the club have a history of winning in controversial circumstances, as they did against Chelsea in the 2009 Champions League semi-final when the Blues had four penalty claims turned down. "Barcelona are a great team on and off the pitch, but winning like that doesn't leave the same taste," he stormed. "Josep Guardiola is a fantastic football coach, but the Champions League he won was an embarrassment because of what happened at Stamford Bridge - it was a scandal. And if he wins it this year, he will win after the scandal at the Bernabeu. Let's hope he gets the chance to win a clean Champions League in future without scandals."

While Mourinho can expect a lengthy ban for such comments, Guardiola can expect a trip to Wembley at the end of May once the second leg of this tie is completed at the Camp Nou next week. But for long periods of the game Barcelona struggled to make any headway against a well-organised Real side.

The dismissal of Pepe on the hour handed the visitors a precious advantage and it was one Messi took when he showed wonderful pace and a deft touch to latch on to the end of Ibrahim Afellay's cross from the right on 76 minutes.

Iker Casillas, who had a made a sharp save from David Villa minutes before, could do nothing about the goal and he was similarly helpless three minutes from the end when Messi scored one of the goals of the season.

Collecting the ball in the middle of the Real half, Messi surged forward and swerved through the tackles of Lassana Diarra, Raul Albiol and Marcelo before deftly flicking the ball past Casillas's right hand into the corner of the Real goal.

It was Messi's 52nd goal of the season (and his 11th in 11 Champions League matches) and one that brought him high praise from Guardiola. "It's not the first time he's done that, he has a wonderful ability to take players on. He's become the club's third highest goal-scorer at just 22... it's absolutely incredible. We are lucky to have him."

Actually he's 23, but who's counting? ·