Champions League: Messi scores his 600th goal leaving Liverpool on the brink

Champions League: Messi scores his 600th goal leaving Liverpool on the brink

AgenciesUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 08:26 PM IST
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Barcelona: Lionel Messi scored two goals as Barcelona beat Liverpool 3-0 in the first-leg semi-final to edge closer to the Champions League final. Messi scored his 599th and 600th goals for Barcelona to subdue a Liverpool lineup that had outplayed the hosts for long stretches at Camp Nou on Wednesday but finally succumbed to the Argentine’s mastery. His double and Luis Suarez’s early goal against his former club gave Barcelona a commanding win. Messi has won the Champions League four times but his hunger to restore Barcelona as the best club team on the continent was evident against Liverpool, when he had to almost single-handedly quash a ferocious comeback attempt by the visitors after Suarez’s 26th-minute opener.

Messi doubled the lead from a rebound with 15 minutes left and followed that up by curling in a perfectly struck free kick in the 82nd. Jurgen Klopp could only smile after Messi’s curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side. They matched Barcelona in the first half, dominated them early in the second and could still have left with an away goal after Messi’s deadly double, only for Mohamed Salah to hit the post. But Messi and Suarez did what they have done all season, their tallies now at 47 and 27 goals respectively in all competitions.

It had been a breathtaking contest befitting two of Europe’s most exhilarating teams. The first half was electric, a reel of chances, breaks and blocks, while the second was tense, a tactical battle where Barca dared Liverpool to over-exert.
The comeback will be even tougher for them given Barcelona, with La Liga wrapped up, will surely rest a host of players against Celta Vigo this weekend while Liverpool, a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, will have to be at full throttle again away at Newcastle on Saturday.

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