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Lionel Messi's goal and two assists help Barcelona come back against Levante, advance to Spanish Cup quarterfinals

Lionel Messi was a one-man show for Barcelona against Levante, scoring one goal and setting up two others in a 3-0 win. (Eric Verhoeven/Getty)
Lionel Messi was a one-man show for Barcelona against Levante, scoring one goal and setting up two others in a 3-0 win. (Eric Verhoeven/Getty)

Lionel Messi didn’t play in the first match of Barcelona’s two-leg, Copa del Rey round of 16 tie against Levante, and the defending champions paid the price in last week’s eyebrow-raising 2-1 loss.

Barca manager Ernesto Valverde wasn’t taking any chances before Thursday’s decisive tilt. Messi and several other regulars were back in the Spanish titans’ starting lineup and the world’s best player — with all due respect to Cristiano Ronaldo and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric — made his presence felt from start to finish in a comprehensive 3-0 victory that helped the hosts avoid what could have been an embarrassing upset and advance to the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup, 4-2 on aggregate.

If Messi’s mere presence on the massive Camp Nou field served as a warning to Levante, it also freed up space for fellow attacker Ousmane Dembele, who has been in and out of Valverde’s team this season. The 21-year-old took full advantage, even if Messi still stole the show.

Messi set up Dembele’s opener by stripping Levante fullback Roberto Suarez Pier, known as Rober, and feeding the Frenchman on the half-hour mark. Less than two minutes later, Messi danced through the midfield and again played provider for Dembele, giving the La Liga leaders an advantage in the total goals contest for the first time in more than two hours of action. It was a lead they would not relinquish.

But the Argentine magician, who scored his 400th league goal last weekend, clearly didn’t want to leave anything to chance, scoring the backbreaker himself. This time it was Dembele’s turn to be the creator. He paid back Messi’s exquisite earlier service by releasing right back Nelson Semedo behind Levante’s defense. Messi saw the opportunity and darted into the box, where Semedo picked him out with a perfect ball that Messi steered past goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez with authority:

There was still more than a half-hour left to play, but Messi’s strike effectively ended the match then and there. The closest Levante would get to scoring again was when Emmanuel Boateng hit the post in stoppage time.

Barcelona is now back on track for a fifth consecutive Copa del Rey crown, having won the last four tournaments. In league play, Barca leads Atletico Madrid by five points. They’ll meet Leganes — which upset Real Madrid 1-0 in Cup play Wednesday although they fell 3-1 on aggregate — in a La Liga match at home on Sunday. With a rested Messi back to his supernatural best, the circuit’s 13th-place team had better be ready.

Doug McIntyre covers soccer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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