Lionel Messi scored his 600th club goal in style as he put Barcelona within touching distance of the Champions League final on Wednesday after firing a stunning brace in a span of seven minutes to down Liverpool 3-0 at the Camp Nou.
Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez opened the scoring midway through the opening half of the semi-final first leg before Messi struck to leave the Reds with a mountain to climb in the tie despite an impressive performance.
The two goals from the captain were each works of art. First, his run set up Sergi to assist Suarez whose shot ricocheted off the crossbar. But the man of the moment was on hand to chest it into the open net. Then, he reached the landmark in stunning style, majestically curling a free-kick into the top corner.
As stunning as it was, Messi downplayed it saying luck played its part.
“It was beautiful when it went in but I was lucky that the ball lodged up there in the corner,” he said. He also refused to take all the plaudits for the win. “We must be more united than ever, all together: the team, the fans. “We said at the beginning of the season that we will win it together.”
Just Messi things, right?
Meanwhile, you can watch the highlights reel of the entertaining match here.
And here’s that majestic shot from different angles
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