What do Lionel Messi Champions League goals number 99 and 100 have in common? Both humiliated Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois by rolling through his legs before nestling into the back of the net.
Lionel Messi scored the opener before Chelsea really touched the ball. Luis Suarez created Barcelona's second without touching the ball. Ousmane Dembele put Barcelona up 2-0 in the 20th minute on Wednesday, putting the Blaugrana up 3-1 on aggregate in their Champions League Round of 16 tie, and Suarez deserves much of the credit.
It’s an absolute disaster for Chelsea as three minutes of Barcelona possession straight from kick off has been ultimately rewarded with the opener from Lionel Messi.
Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic dictated play in Chelsea’s half straight away, but there was no penetration before the ball was suddenly in the back of the net.
19 - After failing to score in his first 10 Champions League appearances against English teams, Lionel Messi has since netted 19 goals in his last 18 games. Haunt.
Consider it karma for Jose Mourinho. The Special One used boring tactics to beat Liverpool on Saturday and tried similarly cynical tactics on Tuesday for Manchester United vs Sevilla. This time, the result was a stunning 2-1 defeat, the Red Devils going out in the Champions League Round of 16.
AS Roma did just enough to overturn their deficit against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday, Edin Dzeko scoring the lone goal in the 52nd minute to put Roma through via the away goals rule, 2-2 on aggregate.
Shakhtar went about their business professionally in the opening 45, looking dangerous on the counter and assured in possession while Roma struggled to generate any chances of note.
If last week’s round of Serie A fixtures was dominated by tragedy, then this week’s matches were defined by flashes of beauty peering through the gloom. Across a number of games, there were flashes of brilliance which pierced through the fog for vastly different reasons. Even if, ultimately, the moments meant nothing, the surge of emotion and energy was undeniable.
Let’s begin with the most astounding of all.
This Francesco Totti goal will bring nostalgic tears to your eyes. Remember that majestic Italian player who retired only recently?
Francesco Totti was one of those players who gave the beautiful game all of its romantic allure.
Totti never played for another team different than Roma. He holds the record of most appearances for the club with a total of 786 in all competitions, 619 of them in Serie A.
Moreover, he was unquestionably one of the most talented players of his generation.