Lionel Messi made history on Wednesday by becoming the first player to score five goals in a European Champions League match as Barcelona thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-1. The Argentine was previously one of a select few to have grabbed four goals in the modern format of Europe's premier club competition.
(CNN) -- Lionel Messi broke his own European Champions League record as he scored five goals in Barcelona's 7-1 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen in Wednesday's second leg of their last-16 tie.
The three-time World Player of the Year had set the previous best of four against Arsenal two seasons ago, and proceeded to go one better with a dazzling display in the Nou Camp.
He now has 12 goals from seven Champions League matches this season as the defending champions waltzed into the quarterfinals 10-2 on aggregate against their unfortunate German opponents. The 24-year-old scored 12 last season as he was the tournament's top scorer.
Messi's reaction to his feat was characteristically humble. "The most important thing is that we won, that's what we wanted," he said.
Coach Josep Guardiola said the Argentina forward "is the best" and "unique because of his talent and for his competitive capacity."
"It's not easy to score five goals in a game. We are very fortunate to have a player like this, we can only enjoy him and this team," Guardiola said after his team reached the last eight for the fifth successive year.
"We only try to provide the conditions so that he can receive the ball as many times as possible where he feels comfortable."
Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, the Bundesliga side could not contain Messi as he scored twice before the break in the 25th and 42nd minutes.
Messi claimed his hat-trick early in the second half with a lob after he eluded a static Bayer defense from Fabregas' through pass.
Debutant Cristian Tello added Barca's fourth, again set up by former Arsenal star Fabregas.
Messi then scored from a tight angle for his fourth after a defensive error, and goalkeeper Bernd Leno was at fault again as he allowed a weak shot by the 20-year-old Tello to go in for the sixth.
Messi's fifth with six minutes to go was unstoppable -- taking him to 49 overall in Europe's top club competition, the sixth highest total -- before Karim Bellarabi scored a consolation for the visitors.
The night's other Champions League tie saw triumph for Cypriot underdogs Apoel Nicosia, who reached the quarterfinals for the first time in the club's history.
Apoel beat French giants Lyon 1-0 after extra time for a 1-1 aggregate score, then won the penalty shootout 4-3.
Dionissis Chiotis was the home hero with two saves in the shootout after Gustavo Manduca scored the only goal of the night in the ninth minute of normal time to cancel out Alexandre Lacazette's winner for Lyon in the first leg.
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Only Spanish star Raul has bettered Filippo Inzaghi's tally of 70 goals in European competition, but the former Italy striker's less-heralded younger brother Simone is the only member of their family to score four times in a Champions League match. He did it in Lazio's 5-1 win against Marseille in 2000.
Dado Prso grabbed four goals for Monaco in what became the highest-scoring match in Champions League history. The Croat helped the team from the principality to an 8-3 win over Spain's Deportivo la Coruna in 2003.
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is the second-highest scorer in European Cup and Champions League history with 60 goals, behind Raul. He found the net four times while playing for Manchester United in a 4-1 win over Sparta Prague in 2004.
One goal behind Van Nistelrooy on the overall list is Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored four times in AC Milan's 4-0 away to Turkey's Fenerbahce in 2005.
Messi's first four-goal tally in the Champions League came in 2010 as Barca beat Arsenal 4-1 in a quarterfinal second leg.
Lyon's Bafetimbi Gomis scored four goals in a Champions League match this season, as the French team squeezed into the knockout stages with a 7-1 win against Dinamo Zagreb.
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