Liverpool lived with Barcelona and Lionel Messi for 75 minutes of this Champions League semi-final first leg - then discovered there is a force that is simply too powerful to resist. Indeed, a Liverpool equaliser looked a more likely outcome than further Barcelona additions as they controlled possession in the arena where it is king and pushed their opponents back into their own territory. The magic that Messi has been sprinkling on Barcelona and the entire sport for more than a decade transformed this tie in the space of those final 15 minutes. Liverpool, for all their good work, now face a mountainous task if they are to reach their second successive Champions League final. Messi's first and Barcelona's second may have been a bundled mess after Suarez had hit the bar, but the goal that probably pushes this tie beyond Liverpool was perfection in every single respect.

Source: The Star May 02, 2019 05:37 UTC