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28 March 2024

Messi feeling Blue as Chelsea jinx continues

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (right) fails to score from the spot during their Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

Published
By AFP

Lionel Messi's scoring jinx against Chelsea struck again as the Barcelona maestro missed a second-half penalty which could have put the Catalans into the Champions League final.

With Chelsea down to 10 men and trailing 2-1 on the night, Messi was handed a golden opportunity to end his seven-match scoring drought against the Blues after Cesc Fabregas was brought down by Didier Drogba.

But instead of firing Barcelona 3-1 ahead, the FIFA World Player of the Year was left stunned as his shot crashed back off the crossbar.

Click to read Chelsea dump out holders Barca

Chelsea then dug in to frustrate Messi at every turn through the remainder of the second half, and Fernando Torres' late goal on the counter-attack sealed a miserable night for the Argentinean maestro.

Messi has now failed to score in eight matches against Chelsea in the Champions League.

Barcelona's exit from the competition means Messi will have to wait before he breaks the record for a single European Cup campaign that he currently shares with Jose Altafini, who scored 14 goals for AC Milan in 1962-1963.

Overall, Messi has scored 63 goals in 55 games this season, four shy of Gerd Muller's all-time single-season European record of 67.

Ronaldo strikes as Real stun Barca

Real Madrid have one hand on a first La Liga trophy in four years after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant winner in a 2-1 victory at Barcelona on Saturday that stretched their lead over their bitter rivals to seven points with four games left.

On a dramatic, rain-lashed night at the Nou Camp, the Portuguese forward's 73rd-minute strike from Mesut Ozil's superb assist secured the win his coach and compatriot Jose Mourinho had sought in vain in eight previous trips to Barca's imposing arena during his otherwise glittering career.

It was Real's first success in eight La Liga 'Clasicos' - four of them before Mourinho arrived from Inter Milan - and gives them a timely boost for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich, when they will seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit.

Click to read Barca's Guardiola at a loss to explain defeat

"We have struck a very significant blow but it's not yet decisive," Real midfielder Xabi Alonso said in an interview with Spanish television.

"Of course it's an important step towards the title but now we have to see it home," added the Spain international.

"Cristiano's goal, coming straight after they levelled, broke their stride and that was fundamental.    

"We controlled the match perfectly. It was a great performance, a fantastic result and I am very happy. Now we have another key match on Wednesday."

Pele says Messi not as good as Neymar

Pele says Lionel Messi isn't the best player in the world today - much less of all time.

Pele said on Wednesday that young Brazilian striker Neymar is better than the Argentina forward, and reiterated once again that he doesn't think Messi belongs in the conversation about who is the best player ever.

That debate has long centered around Pele and Diego Maradona, but many have started including Messi after a series of outstanding performances with Barcelona.

Pele, however, said at an event celebrating the centennial of Neymar's club Santos that "there's always this Maradona comparison, saying that he's better than Pele. Now some are saying that Messi is better than Pele. Well, he has to be better than Neymar first, which he isn't yet. He has more experience."

The 20-year-old Neymar is seen as Brazil's greatest player at the moment.