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When it comes to big Champions League nights, Lionel Messi never shies away from the limelight. And he stepped-up once again when his team needed him the most, scoring 2 goals and providing 2 assists in a 5-1 thumping of Lyon on Wednesday night. The first leg of the Round of 16 tie ended in a goalless draw in France, and Barcelona were wary of the fact that if Lyon scored at the Camp Nou, they would have to go and score twice to go through to the quarters. But Messi was in no mood for drama and showed his intent from the start.
Barcelona was awarded a penalty when Jason Denayer brought down Luis Suarez in the box and Messi took the responsibility upon himself. He executed an ice-cold panenka which gave Barca the lead. His link-up play with Suarez troubled the visitors throughout the game. At the 31st minute mark, Philipe Coutinho doubled Barca's lead with a simple tap-in. Lyon came back into the game when they pulled one back in the 58th minute after a poorly-defended cross was converted into a goal by Lucas Tousart. Messi then scored the third for Barcelona with some individual brilliance as he dribbled past defenders as if they were not there before putting the ball into the back of the net. Two minutes later, he assisted Gerard Pique with a brilliant pass towards the far post. The final nail in the coffin came for Lyon in the 86th minute when another Messi pass found Ousamane Dembele, who made no mistake in putting the ball at the back of the net.
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Messi's magical performance came just a day after Cristiano Ronaldo carried Juventus into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with his sensational hat-trick against Atletico Madrid. The debate about who is the 'greatest footballer of all time' is everlasting. It did calm down a little bit when Ronaldo moved away from Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid to Juventus last summer, but after stellar performances by both the players on consecutive days, the discussions are back on. And fans have taken it to Twitter to share their views.
Some people just appreciate both the players:
