Champions League: Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool, 5 men who won the game for Barcelona

#1 Lionel Messi

Barcelona v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: First Leg

Before the Liverpool game, Lionel Messi had scored 46 goals from 45 games this season. Jurgen Klopp knew that for Liverpool to get anything out of the game, they had to stop the Barcelona skipper from scoring against them. And the German set his team up accordingly, crowding up Messi every time the Argentinean got the ball and trying to bully him into submission. Messi was clipped at his heels and continuously hounded throughout the game, but if Liverpool thought that their tactics had worked, they were wrong.

Messi continued to dictate the game from a deeper position. He sent in beautiful final balls on quite a few occasions and both Suarez and Vidal should have increased the lead. When his compatriots failed to take charge, the Argentinean took matters in his own hands.

After scoring brilliant goals all through the season, Messi showed his poacher’s instincts on the night. When Suarez’s shot hit the bar in the 75th minute, the Barcelona skipper was the first to react. None of the Liverpool defenders anticipated his movements and Messi was on the end of the rebound on a flash. He kept his composure and put the ball into the net. But he was far from finished.

In the 82nd minute, Fabinho, who had been kicking at Messi all game, brought him down almost 30 yards away from the Liverpool goal. Messi stepped up, dusted himself and unleashed the perfect free kick to give Barcelona a 3-0 lead. It was the perfect testament to the greatest footballer in the world and Lionel Messi was inspirational as Barcelona defeated Liverpool.