Messi record as Barcelona reach semis

Lionel Messi scores the only goal of the night in Donetsk to seal Barcelona's progress into the last four.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Lionel Messi scores his 48th club goal this season as Barcelona win in Donetsk
• Argentina star edges past last season's tally, which matched Ronaldo's previous record
• Spanish champions face possible semifinal against arch-rivals Real Madrid
• Shakhtar suffer second successive defeat following 56-match unbeaten home run

(CNN) -- Barcelona set up a potential Champions League semifinal clash with Spanish rivals Real Madrid after ending the European hopes of Shakhtar Donetsk with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

Two-time world player of the year Lionel Messi scored the only goal in the Ukraine as the La Liga leaders completed a 6-1 aggregate success.

It was the 23-year-old Argentina international's 48th goal in 46 games this season, a new club record which leaves him one behind the alltime Spanish record set by Real's Ferenc Puskas ahead of the campaign's second "El Clasico" league clash between the two teams in Madrid on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's team will face Real four times before the end of this season if Jose Mourinho's side can, as expected, protect a 4-0 lead away to English club Tottenham on Wednesday.

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This fourth consecutive qualification for the semifinals is a huge achievement. Barcelona have never done this before
--Pep Guardiola

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Barcelona, the 2009 European champions and three-time winners overall, reached the semifinals for the fourth successive season while denying Shakhtar a first appearance in the last four.

"This fourth consecutive qualification for the semifinals is a huge achievement," Guardiola told reporters in quotes carried by AFP. "Barcelona have never done this before. This is a huge pleasure."

The Ukrainian league leaders went into the match having lost their 56-match unbeaten home run in all competitions last weekend, and failed to capitalize on a string of early chances.

"In spite of the large number of players missing from our side, we had more chances than any team should normally have against Barcelona," Shakhtar's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu said.

"This was a great opportunity to play against Barca, and this will be a useful experience for our young team for next season."

Messi struck the killer blow two minutes before halftime after collecting a pass from Dani Alves and squeezing a low left-foot shot past goalkeeper Andrei Pyatov.

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It took him past the mark of 47 goals set by Barca's former Brazil star Ronaldo in 1996-97, a total that Messi matched last season.

It was his ninth goal in 10 Champions League ties this season, to go with 29 in 28 La Liga matches, seven in six Copa Del Rey games and three in the two-leg Spanish Supercup.

Messi did not score in Barca's first-leg romp that made the return almost academic, but netted twice on Saturday against Almeria and now has the chance to surpass the 1959-60 feat of legendary Hungarian Puskas.