Barcelona assistant manager Jordi Roura admitted Lionel Messi was the difference between an early exit for Barca and a place in the semifinals, while PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged the Argentine was the key to unlocking his side's stubborn defense.

Messi came on in the second half to inspire Barcelona to a 1-1 draw against PSG, with the former going through on the away goals rule after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate. Pedro Rodriguez canceled out an early second half strike from Javier Pastore.

"We had an agreement with Lionel Messi and in the end this was put into practice," Roura told reporters. "He is such an important player and his mere presence proved the key. He demonstrated that competitive ambition and hunger he has.

"(The coaching staff) are very happy and proud of our team. Tonight's game was very difficult, we were playing against a great side.

"We went into the match with a lot of players missing but we showed the necessary class to achieve our objective. We're very pleased and, again, proud to be through to the semifinals and for having overcome PSG."

Ancelotti concurred with Roura about Messi's influence once he arrived onto the pitch just past the hour mark. "Messi boosted their confidence (when he came on), Ancelotti said. "Even if he is not 100 percentfit, he is a fantastic player. It helped unlock the game when he came off the bench."

The PSG manager, however, was proud of his side's performance even if they fell agonizingly short.

"There is regret and pride," the former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss added. "We did everything we could to win. Our team showed quality, character, bravery.

"We played very, very well. We defended a lot, yet when we had the ball we made the best use of it. In the end, I'm disappointed.

"We saw a very good game. We had some really good possession. We wanted to play an open and attacking style.

"We didn't just try to keep it tight like all the other teams who come here; for us, it was important to cause Barca problems."