Messi misses Club World Cup semi with abdominal pain

Messi was diagnosed Thursday morning with renal colic, a type of abdominal pain commonly attributed to kidney stones.

“I’ve witnessed [Neymar’s] enormous growth, both as a footballer and as a person”, Messi said.

FC Barcelona’s Neymar, center, arrives at Narita worldwide airport in Narita, near Tokyo, Monday, Dec. 14, 2015.

As expected, Barcelona dominated possession in front of the 63,870 spectators, but Guangzhou’s resolute defense did enough to keep the game scoreless until the 39th minute, when Suarez put the 2015 Champions League winners ahead.

“We are getting better day by day and I’m very grateful to my players. We want to go out and play to our potential and see what happens”. We just have to try to be better than them and to beat them.’ Barcelona won the Club World Cup in 2009 and 2011.

“I don’t need to say anything to my players to give them any extra motivation”, insisted Scolari.

“It was a very tough game, one in which we were losing for a long period and managed to equalise right on full time, before going on to win it in extra time”.

He singled out 31-year-old striker Robinho as a weapon in Guangzhou’s attack, adding the Chinese club’s five Brazilian players in general would need attention. “The game will be very serious and very hard, especially because they are a team which is used to winning”.

The first Club World Cup semi final will be played on Wednesday, at 11:30 (CET) between Safrecce Hiroshima and River Plate, before Barcelona and Evergrande meet on Thursday.

Neymar, who has been recovering from a groin injury, remained on the bench.

The 12th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan reaches its climax this week with the semi-finals and final.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side, are unbeaten in all competitions to 29 matches, and will be hard pressed to extend that against a team many consider the best in the world, and welcome the challenge of learning from their mighty opponents.

“We’ve changed a little bit”, Messi said. In 2013 we were fourth at this tournament, and now we have the chance to finish up one notch. “We are two teams with the same desire to be champions”.