Messi’s joy after scoring for Barcelona.

BBC news agency quoted coach Conte: “Tonight (March 14), in both legs, Lionel Messi made a difference. We are talking about the best player in the world. We are talking about a player (Messi) who scores more than 60 goals every season. He is not a top player but a superior player.”

Coach Conte continued: “We did not deserve to lose 0-3 after what we showed. The players tried their best and I am very satisfied with what they did. But Barcelona is on another level. This defeat is disgraceful, but we must quickly get up and prepare well for the match against Leicester City this weekend.”

Similar to coach Conte, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also admitted that his team failed because they could not stop Messi. “We played well but mistakes cost us. Messi is so excellent. I have faced Messi many times but was always defeated by him. Messi is the big difference between the two teams in tonight’s match (March 14).

Coach Conte’s disappointed expression after Chelsea lost to Barcelona. Photo: REUTERS

Meanwhile, coach Ernesto Valverde also gave a lot of praise to his students after the victory against Chelsea, especially Messi. Coach Valverde shared: “I’m very happy to have Messi in the team. He decides every path to the ball and is also the one who creates opportunities for his teammates. Barcelona’s attacks all go through Messi’s feet and he makes everything easier.”

“Chelsea is a strong team, with many excellent players and they caused us a lot of difficulties. They fought very resiliently and always created threats every time they had the ball. This is our most difficult match since the beginning of the tournament.”