The 2009 World Player of the Year was a peripheral figure as Inter outclassed holders Barcelona to gain a convincing first-leg advantage.

He had one decent chance to score but saw his shot blocked by Inter keeper Julio Cesar.

"We'll invite you to Barcelona and then you will see the real Messi," the Catalans' coach Guardiola said after the game.

Inter, who won the European Cup twice in 1964 and 1965, now look favorites to book a place in May's final at Santiago Bernabeu.

Their coach Jose Mourinho said both sides still have equal chances of going through and Guardiola echoed his sentiment.

"We are convinced that we can turn the tie around. It can happen in a semi-final against Inter. It's not ideal to lose by two goals, but we can overturn it," he added.

"Our fans will get behind us and we can do it. Today was not our best game and Inter are not a team who let you play easily. I congratulate our opponents and hope we can do better in the second leg."