Barca await news on Messi injury

Lionel Messi ended the night on a stretcher instead of the history books as an under-strength Barcelona battled to a goalless draw against Benfica last night.

On a night when Messi needed just one goal to equal Gerd Muller’s record of 85 strikes in a calendar year, the Argentinian magician lasted just 25 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute before being carried off with a knee injury.

Barca said last night that Messi has a bruise on the outside of his left knee, and will undergo further tests today to determine the exact extent of the injury.