Lionel Messi’s night at Anfield could not have gone much worse and to top it off, he was left behind by Barcelona’s team bus.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg at the Nou Camp and without Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino for the semi-final second leg, Liverpool destroyed Barca 4-0 in another memorable night at Anfield.
At the start of the season, Messi stated his desire to win the Champions League in his first year as captain and his disappointment was clear in the mixed zone, where he was not in the mood for a chat.
In fact, the 31-year old did not pass through that area until a lot later than his teammates because he was made to have a doping test straight after the humbling defeat.
As per El Chiringuito, Messi provided a sample but the process took so long that Barca left for the airport without him and the Blaugrana made alternative travel arrangements to reunite him with the rest of the squad for the journey back.
After his sensational two-goal performance in the first leg, Messi was not his quite his usual self at Anfield. Andy Robertson rattled the Argentine early doors and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s performance did suffer as a result.
He still had moments of magic and spurned a couple of good chances himself, as well as being let down by his teammates’ tame finishing – but Messi’s game was a bit off as Barca bottled a Champions League second leg for the second year on the trot.
SportsBible.com
