Antonio Conte 'Proud' Despite Chelsea UCL Exit & Insists Messi Was the Difference Against Barcelona

Chelsea's Champions League campaign came to disappointing end on Wednesday night as they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona. 

Magical brilliance from Lionel Messi and a cracking shot from Ousmane Dembélé helped the Catalan giants to a tremendous victory but left Chelsea sulking back to England. 

Chelsea's Champions League exit mean they will have to rely on finishing in the top 4 to secure a place in the competition next season, however, the Blues' boss, Antonio Conte, claimed he is "proud" of his side for their efforts and fight despite their elimination.

As quoted on the BBC, Conte expressed his satisfaction and pride of his team's performance.

"They gave everything," he said. "We didn't deserve to lose 3-0. We were a bit unlucky. I think we created many chances but we didn't take them."

Despite going 1-0 down within a matter of minutes, Chelsea looked promising at times, with some strong surges making them look likely to make a comeback. The English side will no doubt feel they deserved more from the game, with Conte clearly feeling his side was hard done by.

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"If you watch the game you can see the final result is unfair. Our start was terrible, to concede a goal after only two minutes, but after this we tried to play football. Over the two legs we hit the post four times."

Chelsea fell victim to the class and quality of Lionel Messi on Wednesday, as the Argentinian turned on the style to become the second player in Champions League history to score 100 goals in the competition.

"Across the two legs, Messi made the difference," said Conte. "We are talking about the best player in the world. He scores 60 goals every season - he is a super top player. Barcelona were very clinical tonight."

Despite Chelsea's defeat, the Chelsea boss had little criticism for his side, claiming he was proud of their performance in his post-match press conference. 

"It is a pity. At the same time, I must be honest. I must be very proud about my players - they gave everything and we have to continue in this way, with this will to fight and desire to fight together."