Sanchez hits form in Barca win

ALEXIS Sanchez hit his first Champions League goals, and Lionel Messi added a third, as Barcelona won their last-16 tie first leg at Bayer Leverkusen. Sanchez capped a dominant first half for the defending champions by slotting home from the brilliant Messi’s pass. Michal Kadlec equalised with a header from Vedran Corluka’s cross but Sanchez rounded Bernd Leno to tap in and restore his side’s advantage. Messi shot against the post before sealing the victory with a volley. A comfortable win with three away goals puts Barca in a commanding position going into the second leg at home on 7 March. Leverkusen will need a huge upset in the Nou Camp if they are to reach the last eight for the first time since making the 2002 final. Despite drawing level shortly after half-time, they were outclassed overall and it took some dogged defending to keep the scoreline respectable. Saturday’s defeat at Osasuna left Barca 10 points behind Real Madrid with their hopes of a fourth straight Spanish title hanging by a thread. That placed even greater significance on their quest to become the first back-to-back winners of the Champions League.

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Sanchez hits form in Barca win