Where does Lionel Messi's free-kick v Liverpool rank among his UCL semi-final goals?

Aditya Devavrat 09:27 03/05/2019
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  • Lionel Messi added to his collection of great goals.

    On Wednesday, Lionel Messi did what he does best: take the grandest stage and make it his own.

    This time, it was the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, at home. Barcelona were nursing a 2-0 lead against a dangerous Liverpool side, knowing that one goal for the visitors would change the complexion of the tie entirely. Messi was the one who had scored the second goal, though by his standards it was low-key, a tap-in from a rebound after Luis Suarez, who got Barca’s opener, had hit the bar.

    His third was standard Messi, a sumptuous free-kick 30 yards from goal after his run into the heart of the Liverpool defence had seen him hauled to the turf.

    Too far for even Messi to think about it? Hardly. Top corner, 3-0, Liverpool left with a mountain to climb next week.

    Strangely, Messi has only scored six goals in 15 Champions League semi-final games – bagging braces on three different occasions and being shut out the rest of the time.

    But even in those six, there have been some absolute stunners. Does Wednesday night’s goal make the top three?

    3. BARCELONA v LIVERPOOL, 2019

    Of course it does. In fact, some might say it should be even higher. Such is Messi’s quality that even in this limited sample size, he’s managed a couple of others that vie for the title of the best on this list.

    For now, just sit back and admire this. A perfect set-piece, curled inches beyond the closest man in the wall, Joe Gomez and nestling in Alisson’s top corner – the Brazilian was powerless to prevent it.

    2. BARCELONA v BAYERN MUNICH, 2015

    There’s brilliance, and then there’s utter humiliation. Imagine being faced with Jerome Boateng, then one of the best defenders in the world, with Manuel Neuer in goal behind him. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was widely regarded as the best at his position at the time.

    What does Messi do? He turns Boateng inside out to the point of leaving the German on the ground – some would argue the defender has never recovered.

    And then, Neuer could only watch helplessly as Barcelona’s No10 found an impossible chip, lobbing it up and over the goalkeeper’s giant 6’4″ frame before it settled into the back of the net.

    1. BARCELONA v REAL MADRID, 2011

    Some might debate No3 and 2 on this list, and whether they could be swapped. But few would argue against this being No1.

    Here’s the occasion. A Champions League semi-final that was also an El Clasico, with hated rivals Real Madrid standing in the way of a second final in three years for Barcelona.

    And this was at the peak of the rivalry in modern times, when Jose Mourinho was in charge of Los Blancos and had succeeded in getting under Pep Guardiola’s skin – so much so that a year later, Barcelona’s run of three straight La Liga titles would be broken by Madrid and Guardiola would need a sabbatical after being worn down by the bitter on and off-field wars with his counterpart.

    Then there’s the sheer brilliance of the goal. Messi, picking up the ball with about half the field between him and the goal. Driving, bouncing off every attempt to get him off the ball, dribbling past Madrid’s defenders (including Sergio Ramos twice) as if they were cones, and then slipping it across Iker Casillas into the corner. For everything that Messi has produced, this must still rank as one of his best goals of all-time.

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