Guardiola praises 'awesome' Barcelona

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola admitted it is hard to stay at the top but heaped praise on his players after they beat AC Milan to reach the semi-finals for a fifth straight season

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
We were facing a team that has won seven European Cups, a side with very good players. We had 21 shots on goal against an Italian team, they had three. Having said that, if people came here tonight expecting Milan not to cross the halfway line and for us to win by a big margin, that was never going to happen. Milan have huge experience and pose a big threat. 

The season is so long, you have different spells. I don't think we're favourites [to win the trophy] – Bayern are there, Madrid [will be] there. We have won the Champions League twice in three years and have now reached five semi-finals in a row.The most difficult thing in the world is to continue because you can win anything once but to do it again is very, very tough. These players are awesome.

We have reached five semi-finals because of the effort everybody has put in and the players are happy to do their talking on the pitch. We always try to be at the highest level we can and we know we will have to reach the highest level if we want to go all the way to the final in Munich.

We are more than satisfied with the season so far and with the effort everyone has put in. We've won three trophies, are into the final of the Copa del Rey, involved in a difficult fight for the Liga, and have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan coach
We're disappointed because the second penalty came a few minutes before half-time, when Barcelona weren't doing much after our goal. It's a pity because the first penalty was a gift – you can't afford to do that against a team like Barcelona.

After we equalised we honestly thought we could go through because Barcelona were under a bit of pressure and weren't managing to play their football. Barcelona played their fluent football only after their third goal, which was quite lucky because a deflection changed a Messi shot into an assist for Iniesta.

You have to play perfectly to win here and we made some mistakes both defensively and in missing some important final passes when we had space in attack. In both games we had a lot of chances to create opportunities to score but weren't precise [enough] with our passes.

After their third goal it wasn't easy to react. We were all disappointed during the break after conceding late in the first half, and when we came back we soon conceded another.

Messi hails Barça's consummate display

Lionel Messi spoke to UEFA.com after yet another record-breaking night and praised FC Barcelona's ability "to take advantage of our strengths" in order to see off AC Milan.

Relief and pride were the main emotions circling the Camp Nou after FC Barcelona eliminated a stubborn AC Milan side to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Getting to the last four of the competition for the fifth consecutive season was reason enough for celebration. However, the fact that, inspired by another fine display from Lionel Messi, they played close to their maximum to beat the Italian champions meant there was a relieved intake of breath by the time UEFA.com spoke to Josep Guardiola's players.

Forward Messi explained: "We knew, quite clearly, this was going to be a tough game but what was vital was that we also knew how to take advantage of our strengths and because of that we won and are through.

"Milan have great footballers and they are demonstrating their quality in the Italian championship and this Champions League. Like the first leg this was a hard contest but we did well and won through."

Barcelona ran out 3-1 victors – courtesy of two Messi penalties and a deft third from Andrés Iniesta – after a performance of intensity and confidence which had the Camp Nou roaring its appreciation. Antonio Nocerino's clever equaliser had tested the nerve of the hosts, but with man of the match Messi again on sparkling form Barça held out – even after Gerard Piqué limped off in the second half.

Daniel Alves, whose strong showing drew particular praise from his coach, said: "It was a really intense and fascinating game to play in. We gave everything to achieve our objectives and we produced some great stuff and many chances. No way would it have been a surprise if we had won by another couple of goals."

The Brazilian international full-back added: "When you think about being in the semi-finals after a game like that, there is a sense of relief at having eliminated a difficult, historic rival like Milan."

Messi notched his 50th goal in the UEFA Champions League, then went on to add his 14th of this European campaign with his second penalty – and third in two matches. He said that converting two spot kicks in a single game has its difficulties.

"I tried to hold off on the second penalty until the keeper committed himself but that was tricky because he [Christian Abbiati] is huge," he said. "He waited for me and I knew he could get to either side of the goal by diving full length – as he did when he got a touch to the first one. But all I care about the two goals was that they went in and I helped the team achieve our target."

The final word went to a thrilled Thiago Alcántara, the 20-year-old midfielder having been introduced as a second-half substitute. "It wasn't just a pleasure for the fans to watch this game, it was great to play in too," he said. "It was the meeting of two historic, almost mythical clubs so of course it was a lovely night to be part of. The feeling of eliminating them and reaching the semi-final is one of absolute delight and pride. It's the best."