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.
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.
Forget all the complaints about which team had more rest or which team has more money — the first leg of the Champions League semifinals between Ajax and Tottenham was everything you want in a big match.
Full of attacking intent from both sides, neither of which backed away from a single challenge, Ajax turned 30 minutes of first-half dominance into a 1-0 victory, a third-straight away win in the knockout rounds for the Amsterdam side. Spurs, meanwhile, suffered back-to-back defeats at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Battered, bruised and bloodied, Jan Vertonghen was splayed out on the turf.
The Spurs defender smashed his own head into the back of teammate Toby Alderweireld’s head going for a free kick, causing a faucet of blood to spew forth.
It was gruesome, and it summed up Tottenham’s opening half against Ajax.
(Editor's note: This story is for the 2018-19 season. If you'd like to see our 2019-2020 story on how to watch the Champions League and other leagues, click here.)
After what looked like a promising rebound year for Manchester United plummeted, the club will look into Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the offseason, according to rumors.
Oblak’s recent contract extension has the goalkeeper inked with the Spanish club until 2023 with a €120 million buyout.
Konrad de la Fuente is living the true American dream right now. The 17-year-old Miami native is rising through the ranks of the Barcelona academy, playing for the Barcelona B squad and in the UEFA Youth League (essentially the Champions League for youth teams).
Newly promoted Wolves' miracle season continues as they gain their 16th point against top-six teams this season in their first win over Arsenal in over 40 years, 3-1 on Wednesday.
Wolverhampton’s Ruben Neves got one the scorecard first with a beauty of free kick in the 28th minute.
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.
A Harry Kane-less Tottenham got exactly what it needed in a 4-3 loss to Manchester City as the Spurs will advance to the UCL semifinals, 4-4 on aggregate by way of away goals.
The Spurs held a 1-0 advantage from the previous meeting back in London.
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