Chicharito and Lionel Messi Help Teams Advance in Champions League

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, left, scores past Shakhtar Donetsk's goalkeeper Pyatov Andriy during their Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match at the Donbass Arena, in Donetsk, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 12, 2011. (AP Photo / Efrem Lukatsky) (AP2011)

Chicharito and Lionel Messi did it again.

The standout players helped their teams move on to the semifinals in the Champions League.

Javier Hernández scored in the 43rd minute for Manchester United off Ryan Giggs' cross to give the squad a 3-1 win over English rival Chelsea. After Didier Drogba tied the score in the 77th, Park Ji-sung scored off the restart, with Giggs again getting the assist.

"It was a tough game tonight," the 37-year-old Giggs said. "We scored a couple of great goals. My job in the center was made easier with Michael Carrick next to me, who had a fantastic two games. It's easier as you get older because you pick your moments."

Messi, meanwhile, scored his 48th goal of the season in the 43rd minute, helping Barcelona beat Shakhtar Donetsk, 1-0. The team won the total-goals series 6-1.

Messi set a personal best, topping his 2009-10 total of 47 goals, which had tied the club season scoring record set by the Brazilian Ronaldo in 1996-97.

Manchester United will play Schalke or defending champion Inter Milan in the semifinals, and Barcelona will play rival Real Madrid or Tottenham. Real Madrid goes to London with a 4-0 lead from the first leg, and Inter goes to Gelsenkirchen trailing 5-2.

Barcelona and Real Madrid could meet four times in 18 days. They play Saturday in the Spanish League and next Wednesday in the Copa del Rey final.

The May 28 final at Wembley could feature Barcelona and Manchester United in a rematch of the 2009 final, won by the Spanish club 2-0.

Manchester United reached the semifinals for the fourth time in five years.

"I think we played very, very well against a very, very good team," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "In a team game we had some fantastic performances, Park, Chicharito, all over, no one let us down."

Manchester United, like Barcelona a three-time winner of Europe's top club tournament, leads the Premier League and plays Manchester City in an FA Cup semifinal on Saturday.

Chelsea is headed toward another trophy-less season. The Blues, who lost to United on penalty kicks in the 2008 Champions League final, trail United by 11 points in the Premier League.

This is not what Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich had in mind when he sanctioned the acquisition of Fernando Torres from Liverpool for $80 million, a British-record transfer fee. Torres, replaced by Drogba at the start of the second half, is scoreless in 11 matches since joining Chelsea.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.