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What's the story?
Following Barcelona's 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday night, Blaugrana captain Lionel Messi's night got even worse when the team bus left him at Anfield and proceeded to go to the airport in his absence.
In case you didn't know...
Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League after squandering a three-goal lead against Liverpool at Merseyside last night.
The Reds pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of European football, courtesy of spectacular braces from Divock Origi and super-sub Georginio Wijnaldum.
The Spanish champions looked like a shadow of their former selves as they struggled to stifle the Reds' attack despite the absence of Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah up front.
Meanwhile, Messi was silenced as the Liverpool defence successfully managed to deter his efforts during the game.
After the game, Fabinho lauded his team's defence for successfully stopping Messi saying,
"The whole team defended, as I said, we left our life on the ground. I tried to do everything so that the ball does not reach him."
"We did not have a lot of time after a very difficult game in Newcastle but we are preparing a whole season to experience moments like that."
"After the first game I told you that the result was not good but that our performance was."
"We tried to do the same thing, to press, to give everything but we scored quickly and that made the difference."
"We still had the strength to keep the ball in the end. After the match with our fans it was amazing."
The heart of the matter
Following yet another Champione League disappointment, Messi was forced to prolong his stay at Anfield owing to a doping test that he was required to do after the game.
The test reportedly took long and since the rest of the Barcelona team was exhausted after the game, the bus departed to the airport without the team captain.
According to Fox Sports Asia, arrangements were later made for Messi to link up with his teammates.
What's next?
While Barcelona's dream of European glory this season has ended, they still have a Copa del Rey final against Valencia to win later this month.
Meanwhile, Liverpool await to see who will emerge as their opponent between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax.
