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BARCELONA. – Antonio Conte has praised Lionel Messi as the kind of talent who emerges only once every half-century after the Barcelona forward registered his 100th Champions League soccer goal en route to eliminating Chelsea from the competition.

Conte admits Messi was the ringmaster at the Nou Camp as Barcelona dumped Chelsea out of the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Messi, who had failed to score in his first eight appearances against the London club, hit three of Barça’s four goals over the two legs and set up Ousmane Dembélé for the other, the second on Wednesday night, as the Spanish La Liga’s champions-elect progressed into the quarter-finals.

“A fantastic player moved the final result, moved the qualification over the two legs,” the Italian said. – The Guardian.