When the 2019 Copa América kicks off on June 14 with a match between Brazil and Bolivia at the Morumbi in São Paulo, all eyes will be on the hosts, led by captain Neymar, before attentions turn to Salvador the following day for a match between Colombia and Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
PSG’s Kylian Mbappé scored two goals in a 4-0 rout of Dijon on Saturday to move within two of Lionel Messi in the race for the 2019 European Golden Boot. It took the span of 102 seconds for Messi to reassert his lead.
Messi scored in the 31st and 32nd minutes for his 35th and 36th goals of the season, wrapping up the LaLiga Golden Boot/Pichichi Trophy and giving the Argentine the inside track to the European honor.
In the end he was left to perform for the Doping Control Officer. And the sad, silent song of Lionel Messi’s stream, deep in the bowels of an Anfield that had threatened to rupture, made the hour twice as long as he waited for the sun to go sinking.
What’s it like in the locker room after you pull off one of the greatest comeback wins in the history of a storied club? Thanks to the club’s media team, we have behind-the-scenes footage of the Liverpool locker room after beating Barcelona on Tuesday night.
Coming into a game with the impossible on its to-do list, Liverpool down three goals on aggregate returned home and dominated Barcelona 4-0 to return to its second consecutive Champions League final with a 4-3 aggregate victory on Tuesday at Anfield.
Just six days ago, this Barcelona team was on the other side of the beating, thrashing Liverpool 3-0 in Barca.
All Barcelona had to do was get one. One away goal and it would all be over for Liverpool. One simple goal from the team with the greatest goal scorer of this era, perhaps of all time.
But Alisson wouldn’t let it happen.
What a difference a goalkeeper makes.
Last year, Liverpool’s Champions League run was ended by poor goalkeeping, Loris Karius undoing all the good work done by Jurgen Klopp’s side against Real Madrid.
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.
There’s something strikingly refreshing about the way adidas is approaching its Nemeziz franchise, especially before the May 7 release of the Nemeziz 19 boot (which’ll be worn by the likes of Lionel Messi, Roberto Firmino, Bernardo Silva and Isco). In essence, it’s a boot that’s highly self-aware: It’s not trying to be all things to all people, and it’s certainly not an example of drawing an eye-catching design and then simply manufacturing it.
This is a revolution in material, construction and performance.
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.