Lionel Messi adds to his legend by leading Barcelona past Bayern Munich (Video)

At length, an hour and a quarter into the game, and twice thereafter, Lionel Messi descended onto the proceedings and bestowed upon us the sort of soccer enlightenment that has inspired us, mere men, to question his mortality and ponder his possible divinity.

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That's when he scored the two goals for Barcelona that finally sank a stout Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal on Wednesday, to be followed by a splendid assist enabling Neymar to record the final 3-0 outcome.

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But if the score had been a spare 0-0 stalemate up until those goals in the 77th, 80th and 94th minutes, it nevertheless offered more excitement and transcendent soccer than you possibly could have hoped for when the two best soccer clubs in the world of the last decade did battle at the Camp Nou.

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Even before Messi's sublime flashes, this game was a fantastic sporting spectacle, never mind a merely excellent soccer game. It was a game of chess, only played by many of the fastest and best and cleverest athletes on the planet.

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This was the homecoming of Pep Guardiola, who earned his sterling reputation as both a midfielder and a manager at Barcelona. Now in charge of Bayern, his mandate there is to match the stratospheric and unprecedented success he knew in four years in charge of Barca.

Sure enough, Guardiola, one of the shrewdest men in the game, was hiding a tactical trump card – masking, perhaps, the deluge of injuries he's had to deal with. From the first whistle, Pep's twist was to take the game to his old club with a 3-5-2 formation that was essentially combating Barcelona with the soccer equivalent of a full-court press.

Bayern set up very high on the field, leaving lots of room in behind for Barca to counter into. It was a daring thing to do because it put Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, some of the finest forwards in the world, in one-on-one situations with Bayern's defenders. The midfield, likewise, was matched up man-for-man. But it unsettled Barcelona, which, for a time, had trouble establishing its trademark passing rhythm, that familiar cadence common to all its success.

Still, Barca found gaps. In the 11th minute, Suarez was played through but had his point-blank effort turned away by Bayern's outstanding goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who denied the Uruguayan with a kick save.

Shortly thereafter, Suarez wrestled through the box, stayed on his feet – for once – and squared for Neymar, but defender Rafinha cut out the pass at the last moment.

Then, at the other end, Thomas Muller, gained ground up the right and dispatched a low cross to Robert Lewandowski, who had escaped his markers and ghosted into the wide-open space in front of Barca goalie Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. But the Polish striker couldn't quite elongate himself enough to connect with the ball and slid his finish wide.

Bayern then made a tactical adjustment. Guardiola, having come to his senses, pulled another defender into his back line. But the tone was set for the game. Bayern, unlike just about every other team Barca plays, would not shrivel into its own half and hope for the best. It would play. That put Barcelona in the uncomfortable position of having to defend close to its own goal and hit the opponent in quick bursts, rather than elaborate buildups. And, most of all, it forced Messi to pick the ball up far from goal, limiting the damage he could do.

Barca did forge another great look before halftime, though. Dani Alves snuck around the back of Bayern's defense and was spotted by Andres Iniesta. The Illusionist, so nicknamed, summoned some magic from his bottomless well and dinked the ball over the top, right into Alves's path. The Brazilian chested it down and smashed a low shot at goal. But again, Neuer reacted splendidly and prevented the conclusion of a wondrous attack.

The second half brought more chances for Barcelona, and, for the most part, more Neuer. Around the hour mark, Neymar set up Messi at the edge of the box, but he ripped his shot right at the World Cup-winning goalie. And then Neymar was sprung with a pass over the top, but Neuer, ever so sharp to the danger, burst forth from his area and cleared it before the Brazilian had had half a chance to receive the ball. Ivan Rakitic then won the ball outside Bayern's box and teed up Neymar on the left. But, perhaps daunted by Neuer's immense form, airmailed his shot well over the crossbar.

Then Barca broke through. Right after Neymar was perhaps denied a valid penalty, Alves picked up a turnover and laid the ball off for Messi. He took a touch and whacked a shot at the near post from outside the box, which finally defeated Neuer on a treacherous bounce.

Three minutes later, Messi received the ball in stride from Rakitic, turned Jerome Boateng inside out, sending the defender tumbling to his backside, before chipping Neuer with an immaculate touch.

Finally, in the 94th minute, with Bayern pressing imprudently hard for the away goal, Neymar was dispatched alone through the line and beat Neuer one-on-one. The pass, of course, came from Messi.

Before the game, Guardiola had warned that Messi at his best, as he is right now, cannot be stopped. And, as often, he was proved prescient. No matter how well Bayern played, its ultimate fate could not elude Messi's influence.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.