Third strike to Barcelona! After a draw in the league and a defeat in the Spanish cup final against arch-rivals Real Madrid, Barça won an important victory in the Bernabeu stadium to virtually ensure a place in next month's Champions League final. Once again Mourinho lined up without an orthodox centre forward, and a tense first half ended without goals as the locals looked to repeat their cup final success. But with an hour on the clock Pepe was shown a rigorous red card for a foul on Dani Alves, and Mourinho himself was sent to the stands for his protests. And Messi took advantage after that to score two goals to seal it for Guardiola's side, the first from Afellay's cross and the second with a house-special run past four defenders before clipping a shot past Casillas. There are still ninety minutes to go, but with Manchester United beating Schalke '04 by the same scoreline yesterday, a repeat of the final from two years ago must be on the cards. (27.04.11)