Barcelona striker Leo Messi scored an incredible four times as his side beat Arsenal 4-1 to qualify for the semifinals of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Argentinean showed why he is the best player in the world with a first half hat-trick after the visitors had taken a surprise first half lead.

Both sides went into the game with numerous players missing: Barcelona was without suspended duo of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, while Zlatan Ibrahimovich was missing with a calf strain, allowing Bojan to start in attack.

The young striker had scored two goals at the weekend and got the nod ahead of former Arsenal hero Thierry Henry.

 Barcelona's Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts after scoring a goal against Arsenal during their Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, April 6, 2010. Messi scored four times as Barcelona beat Arsenal 4-1 to reach the Champions League semifinals for the third straight year.

The visitors meanwhile had a host of injuries, including Cesc Fabrigas, William Gallas, Alex Song, Andrey Arshavin and young midfielder Alex Ramsey, limiting the options of coach Arsene Wenger, who opted to use Mikael Silvestre in central defense while leaving veteran Sol Campbell on the substitutes' bench.

The 2-2 draw from the first leg meant that Arsenal had to score to have any chance of qualifying for the last four and although Barcelona began by controlling the play Arsenal did indeed score the first goal.

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