Last Wednesday, Lionel Messi recorded his 600th goal for Barcelona during his club’s 3-0 Champions League semifinal first leg victory over Liverpool. It was an astonishing free kick, the 42nd of his Barça career, that venomously flew right past Joe Gomez’s face before curling into the top corner from 35 yards out.
This season’s Premier League has been very interesting to say the least.
Liverpool and Manchester City have been battling it out for the title after Chelsea and Tottenham began dropping points. Liverpool put itself in a great position to go clear at the top only after a difficult run of games saw City catch up and retake the top spot. There has been talk among football fans and pundits alike that if Liverpool and Manchester City are equal on points, goal difference and goals scored on the final day. The two teams will have to play a Premier League title playoff.
Liverpool has had a tough week.
First, Liverpool fans were criticized around the globe as a few jackasses acted like assholes while visiting Barcelona before the Champions League semifinal first leg. Then Liverpool played well but lost 3-0 in that match because Lionel Messi. On Friday, the Reds found out Naby Keita is out for two months after picking up a knock against Barça.
Liverpool was dominating in the second half. Fullbacks were flying forward, midfielders were ripping shots and forwards were bamboozling defenders.
But only Barcelona had Lionel Messi.
More than ever before, Messi is carrying Barcelona this season. Unlike past Champions League-winning sides Messi has been a part of, he is both the primary goal scorer and primary goal creator.
Liverpool spent a lot of the first half against Barcelona chasing Lionel Messi’s backside. Fabinho will probably have nightmares of the Blaugrana No. 10 jersey always fluttering just out of his reach.
But when James Milner finally caught up to Messi at one point after the ball had gone out of bounds, he knocked the Argentine on his backside.
What ensued was a wild embellishment from Messi, who isn’t usually prone to such antics. He followed that with a cheeky smile.
Fair or foul?
Barcelona and Liverpool both started the first leg of their Champions League semifinal with plenty of attacking intent, throwing caution to the wind in search of a go-ahead goal. It didn’t take too long to arrive, with a Luis Suarez goal vs Liverpool giving the home side a lead in the 26th minute.
And the former Liverpool man had no problem celebrating his goal.
Often, players choose to refrain from celebrating a goal against a former club as a show of respect. It’s a nice gesture.
It seems as though football fans become more emboldened the better their team does. And while many British supporters like to claim they’re better than their continental counterparts when it comes to racism, violence and general hooliganism, Liverpool fans are proving they’re a despicable lot ahead of the Champions League semifinal first leg in Barcelona on Wednesday.
While there’s a thrilling Premier League title race going on right now, as Arlo White loves to tell us, we can’t forget there’s also an incredible Golden Boot race shaping up.
After a quarterfinal round that produced two absolute classic, the semifinals of the 2018-19 Champions League can’t come soon enough. Today, UEFA confirmed the dates and times for both Tottenham vs. Ajax and Barcelona vs. Liverpool in the final four the competition.
The semifinals will begin on Tuesday, Apr. 30, with Spurs hosting Ajax at the newly opened Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Action continues on Wednesday, May 1, when Barcelona welcomes Liverpool to the Camp Nou for the first leg of their tie.