Philippe Coutinho responds to the gesture of Lionel Messi in Seville

Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho congratulated his team-mate Lionel Messi for allowing him to take a penalty as the Catalans demolished Seville 6-1 for a return to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

After fighting in the 2-0 defeat at Sevilla last week, Coutinho felt the pressure at Camp Nou, where he failed to reach the Liverpool level.

However, after Messi was eliminated by Quincy Promes in the 13th minute, the Argentine star gave the ball to Coutinho and asked him to score the penalty kick that triggered the return of Barcelona.

"I tried everything and nothing was going on." Leo encouraged me to take the penalty, which helped me gain self-confidence, Coutinho said.

"It was not something we had prepared, it was very kind of him.The gesture shows how awesome he is as a person."

Coutinho then scored another goal as the reigning champion, Barcelona, ​​secured his place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

"It was a very special evening for Barcelona fans, we knew we had to come back after the bad result at Sanchez-Pizjuan, we played very well and we deserved it," added the Brazilian.

Messi, who signed a brilliant sixth at the end to complete Barcelona's victory, explained his decision after the match.

"Coutinho took one against Levante and we talked because he wanted to do it, I'm happy because that's how it all started," said Messi.