Lionel Messi scored within two minutes of coming on as a substitute to help Barcelona complete a 3-1 comeback win over Mexico's Atlante on Wednesday and reach the Club World Cup final against Estudiantes.
Ballon d'Or winner Messi came off the bench to wild cheers from the near-capacity 40,952 crowd at the Zayed Sports City in the 53rd minute and put the European champions ahead almost immediately.
“When he (Messi) goes on to the pitch the dimension changes completely — he comes from a different galaxy,” Atlante coach Jose Guadalupe Cruz said.
“You have to recognise that he's brilliant but also the team coordination helps a lot.”
“It's not the first time Messi gets on to the pitch and scores. He's very competitive and he always decides the final score, he goes on to the pitch and he is a fighter,” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
“His physical state is good and his mind is in a perfect frame to go out and win.”
Pedro scores in sixth competition
Barcelona forward Pedro completed the remarkable feat of scoring in all six competitions the Catalan giants have played in this season when he scored the third goal during the match. The 22-year-old Spaniard pounced on an angled through ball from Andres Iniesta to sidefoot home from eight metres in the 67th minute.
Pedro had already scored in in La Liga, the King's Cup, the European Champions League and the Spanish and European Super Cups.
“I'm going to give my shirt to my family,” Pedro said. “I played my usual game waiting for the chance to score. I was calm.”
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