Lionel Messi shrugged off another night of personal achievement to focus on helping Barcelona into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The Argentinian became the first man to score five times in a game in Europe's premier club competition in another sensational solo display as title holders Barca eased into the last eight with a 7-1 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen.

Pep Guardiola's side were at their unplayable best with young substitute Cristian Tello also scoring twice as they advanced 10-2 on aggregate.

Messi, 24, was the undoubted star but he was quick to play down his own role to concentrate on the bigger picture.

He said: "The most important thing tonight is that all these goals we scored take us one step closer to winning the Champions League, which is our objective.

"We went out there wanting to ensure qualification for the quarter-finals and we achieved that.

"I have always said that it's fantastic when things come off for you and you play well, but only if you meet your aims for the match. That's what happened against Leverkusen.

"The team played very, very well, the performance had some beautiful moments and we scored lots of goals."

Messi's modesty failed to deflect attention away from another magnificent display.

The FIFA World Player of the Year earlier became the first man to score four times in two Champions League games - he also hit four against Arsenal in 2010 - before adding a fifth with a crisp left-foot finish from the edge of the area.

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Messi shrugs off personal achievement