Barcelona crush Donetsk 5-1

Title favorites Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk. And it proved to be a thrilling show for Barca.

Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta punished a Shakhtar defensive error and gave Barca the perfect start when he picked up a loose ball and burst through to finish low inside the near post.

Brazil fullback Daniel Alves raced through unmarked on to Iniesta's curled deep cross to double the home side's lead in the 34th minute

Centre half Gerard Pique made it 3-0 eight minutes after halftime with a deflected shot from a corner.

Yaroslav Rakitskiy briefly checked Barca in the 59th minute when he flicked the ball past Victor Valdes, but Mali midfielder Seydou Keita smashed the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area a minute later, re-setting the scoring stage for the hosts.

World Player of the Year Lionel Messi almost added one more for the Spanish champions, but the keeper responded quick to deny him.

Xavi completed the 5-1 rout with a tap-in from an Alves centre after 86 minutes. Barcelona took a giant stride towards securing a likely semi-final against arch rivals Real Madrid, who previously whitewashed Tottenham Hotspur 4-0.