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Barcelona manager Xavi has admitted that he has not had a chance to speak with Lionel Messi following Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) bizarre Champions League elimination.
Having secured a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash, PSG visited the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for the return leg on Wednesday night. First-leg hero Kylian Mbappe scored six minutes before half-time to double Paris Saint-Germain’s advantage.
Unfortunately, the visitors were subjected to a crushing final half-hour from Madrid, in which Karim Benzema scored a blistering hat-trick within 17 minutes to send Paris packing out of the European competition.
Lionel Messi, who was well below his sky-high standards on Wednesday night, was visibly upset after the full-time whistle. When asked whether he had time to console his former Barcelona teammate, Xavi revealed (via Barca Universal):
“Messi is my friend, but we did not talk. This is football, it’s the Champions League. Real Madrid came back after conceding, it’s a tournament where things like that happen all the time. It has happened to us, too.”
He added:
“I sent him a message of encouragement and support after the game. This is football, after taking the lead, in 25 minutes, and because of the intensity and pressure of Real Madrid, everything changed.”
The elimination marked the third time that the Argentine was subjected to a crushing second-leg defeat after winning the first leg.
In 2017-18, Barcelona beat Roma 4-1 in the quarter-final first-leg and then lost 3-0 in the return fixture, crashing out on away goals.
In 2018-19, Barca beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Camp Nou in the semi-final first-leg before falling to a 4-0 defeat at Anfield in the return leg.
Lionel Messi did not get a shot on target in PSG’s defeat against Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain’s undisputed superstar Lionel Messi cut a frustrating figure in front of goal against his former opponents on Wednesday night.
His gameplay, especially in midfield, was noteworthy, but he was quite toothless in front of the Real Madrid goal.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, the Argentina international only managed to take three shots, failing to work Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois even once. The injury-time free-kick was his best attempt for PSG in the Spanish capital.
Unfortunately, his long-range (30 yards) effort did not dip in time to sneak into the top-right corner.
