5 times Lionel Messi took matters into his own hands

#3 Argentina 3-1 Ecuador (World Cup Qualifiers, 2017)

Lionel Mess's heroics secured a spot for Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

A series of poor results during the qualifiers placed Argentina on the brink of missing out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia. To progress, La Albiceleste had to earn nothing but a win in their last qualifier clash with Ecuador.

It looked like hell would strike once again as Romario Ibarra bagged an early opener for Ecuador in the first minute of the encounter. With pressure piling up, Lionel Messi stood up and produced one of his most iconic performances in the Argentina jersey.

The forward scored twice within eight minutes ('12 and '20) to give his team the upper hand heading into the second half. He returned with another strike in the 62nd minute to complete a brilliant hat-trick and secure Argentina's participation in the prestigious tournament.

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#2 Barcelona 3-0 Bayern Munich (Champions League, 2015)

One of the greatest performances in Lionel Messi's career was against Bayern Munich in 2015

It was a clash of titans as Barcelona and Bayern Munich faced each other in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash at Camp Nou in 2015. As expected, the match proved to be intensely contested, with neither side breaking the deadlock over 75 minutes.

Then began the Lionel Messi show. The Argentine activated his alien mode, beating Manuel Neuer with a powerful shot from outside the box in the 77th minute.

The forward returned with another unbelievable effort seven minutes later. He received a pass from Dani Alves and humiliated Jerome Boateng with a brilliant piece of skill before sending a perfectly-timed lob into the back of the net.

The attacker influenced the game once again in injury time, setting up Neymar to grab Barcelona's third goal of the night.

Barcelona succumbed to a 3-2 defeat in Germany but progressed with a 5-3 scoreline on aggregate. Neymar scored both goals.

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#1 Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool (Champions League, 2019)

Lionel Messi scored an amazing free-kick against Liverpool at Camp Nou in 2019

Barcelona hosted Liverpool at Camp Nou for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in 2019. The Blaugrana bagged the first goal of the game via a Luis Suarez strike, and the visitors responded by launching several ferocious attacking moves.

Liverpool threatened to level terms until Lionel Messi intervened. The Argentine doubled the Blaugrana's lead by tapping home from close range in the 75th minute. He then scored one of the finest goals of his career seven minutes later.

Leo shocked the football world by sending a brilliant free-kick into the back of the net from 35 yards out. Even Liverpool players couldn't help but shower praise on the diminutive forward after the game.

Unfortunately, Barcelona suffered a 4-0 defeat at Anfield in the second leg of the tie and crashed out of the Champions League.