It was not the first time Lionel Messi had scored after just two minutes, but his low strike from an acute angle that slid through Thibaut Courtois' legs became the fastest in his career to date.
It took him 129 seconds to turn the tie into an uphill battle for Chelsea with his 33rd goal of the season. In the past, he had managed to score after 156 seconds.
02:08 - Lionel Messi has scored the fastest goal of his career (Barcelona and Argentina). Ray. pic.twitter.com/CcGY4InWmy
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) 14 de marzo de 2018
It was in August 2010 when Messi beat Racing Santander early on, but his goal in the Champions League last 16 second leg shattered his previous record.
Not content with that, he then assisted Ousmane Dembele to make it 2-0 to Barcelona after a dream start.
#Messi opens the scoring for #Barça!!! Honored with a tifo before kickoff, and now he's given the home side a dream start vs #CFC! 1-0 on the night, 2-1 on aggregate. Magic. #KingLeo #BarçaChelsea #FCBCFC #UCL pic.twitter.com/WkmyBXcmBR
— Jason Foster (@JogaBonito_USA) 14 de marzo de 2018