BARCELONA were in no mood for celebration despite their 3-0 demolition of Bayern Munich in Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final, with the second leg still to come.
Lionel Messi put on another majestic performance for the Catalan club, scoring twice, but coach Luis Enrique has told his players they cannot relax ahead of the return leg in Munich next week against a Bayern team that hit back from a huge deficit against Porto to advance from the quarter-finals.
"In the last 15 minutes, we won the game but not the tie," Luis Enrique said.
"In Munich, we will not be speculating with the result. Getting into the Champions League final is a very big prize and I am sure that the team will take the second leg as responsibly as they should. We are going to try to win the return leg and make our fans happy. We need their support and it will be harder over there because they will have their fans.
"We don't see ourselves in the final yet. I remember a team (AC Milan) that was winning a Champions League final 3-0 at half-time only to then lose (against Liverpool in 2005)."
Wednesday's performance was a special one for Barcelona, not only because it put them a big step closer to the Champions League final, but because their former boss Pep Guardiola was at the helm of Bayern and was returning for the first time since leaving the Catalan club in 2013.
All eyes were on Guardiola before proceedings, but once the match started, the man to take centre stage was Messi. The Argentinian has been in top form the past several weeks.
"We are used to Messi showing us that he is a player from another dimension," Luis Enrique said.
Messi's magic allowed Barca to break the deadlock in the 77th minute and his wonder goal three minutes later brought the fans at the Nou Camp stadium to their feet. The South American would then set up Neymar for Barca's third.
"When Messi is inspired, nobody can stop him," Barca defender Gerard Pique said.
"His second goal was incredible. It's a pleasure to have him with us."
Messi has scored eight goals in seven Champions League starts for Barca this season.
"Messi does things that nobody else does," Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta said.
"We are lucky to be able to enjoy having him. I take my hat off to him once again."
Messi has also been pivotal in Barca's domestic campaign. The Argentina international has scored 40 goals and set up 11 in 35 league appearances to help Barca remain at the top of La Liga.
"Having Messi in the team guarantees everything," Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets said.
"He doesn't just score goals, he gives assists, he works and wins the ball. He's the best player in the world."
Messi and Barca return to Primera Division action on Saturday at home to Real Sociedad before they travel to the Allianz Arena on Tuesday to face Bayern in the return leg.
