Lionel Messi: How Barcelona star COPIED Cristiano Ronaldo vs Liverpool - Darren Fletcher
LIONEL MESSI took a page out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s book as he copied the star as Barcelona beat Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final first-leg.
He was not really in the game but, like we’ve seen Ronaldo do, he came alive to be the decisive goalscorer
Darren Fletcher
“He was not really in the game but, like we’ve seen Ronaldo do, he came alive to be the decisive goalscorer.
“You have to give him credit for that.”
Barcelona won the game 3-0 on Wednesday night, with former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez opening Barca’s account after 26 minutes when he connected to a sublime cross from Jordi Alba.
Messi then struck twice in quick succession late in the game to secure the win for the Catalan giants.
Lionel Messi struck twice in quick succession late in the game to secure the win for Barcelona (Image: GETTY)
Darren Fletcher made the comments on BBC Radio 5 Live (Image: GETTY)
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His first came on the 75th minute when he tapped in a rebound as Suarez’s attempt hit the crossbar and then followed that up seven minutes later with a thunderous free-kick from long range.
However, Fletcher thinks Barca didn’t dominate the game as the scoreline might reflect.
He was impressed by the way Liverpool pressed their opponents but also praised Barca boss Ernesto Valverde for how he adapted to the Reds' tactics.
Darren Fletcher praised Barca boss Ernesto Valverde for changing his formation (Image: GETTY)
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“Liverpool pressed high but credit to the manager Valverde for changing the formation and stopping Liverpool.
“A combination of the manager and Messi changed the game for Barcelona.
“People say that Barcelona never change the way they play but the manager Valverde made it 4-4-1-1 and it freed up Messi to make the difference.”
Liverpool will now be hoping to bounce back in the return leg at Anfield next Tuesday and need to win by four clear goals to progress without the need for extra time.