Messi equals Raul’s record Champions League goal tally
Barcelona star’s brace against Ajax takes him ahead of Ronaldo to 71 goals
KARACHI:
Lionel Messi joined Real Madrid striker Raul as the highest goalscorer in Champions League history with a brace away at Ajax as the Catalonians ended 2-0 winners on Wednesday.
The Argentine scored both goals for his side, one in each half, to overtake arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the record, who had a surprising off night on Tuesday when Real defeated Liverpool 1-0 thanks to a Karim Benzema strike.
Messi came agonisingly close to scoring a hat-trick and breaking the record outright after skipping past several challenges but his close range shot was ultimately blocked and scooped straight into the arms of keeper Jasper Cillessen.
The Ajax keeper was partly to blame for Barca’s opener though as he was out-jumped by Marc Bartra, who then crossed the ball into the middle for Messi to head home with the keeper out of goal. However, Messi still had a lot to do but just managed to squeeze it past Ricardo van Rhijn on the line to score only his fourth ever Champions League goal with his head and equal Ronaldo’s tally of 70.
Ajax held firm after going a goal behind and threatened on several occasions, including a superb flowing move that was halted by Jordi Alba and an Arkadiusz Milik free header that went out after hitting the post. The best chance of the second half though fell to Luis Suarez who was played through on goal but was denied by Cillessen one-on-one. Messi then tried to curl in the rebound but hit it just wide, with Neymar perhaps better placed to take the shot.
However, Messi was not to be denied the record-equalling goal and when Joël Veltman cynically brought an end to a Messi run to earn his second booking of the night, it seemed only a matter of time before the Argentine made history.
The goal arrived in the 76th minute when the Argentine finished a move that he had started to tap home a Pedro centre and kill off the game.
The result meant that the Catalonians have qualified for the next round along with PSG but all the post-match limelight was understandably on the Argentine, whose 0.79 goals per match ratio is now the best ever in the Champions League.
Teammate Xavi was quick to dub Messi the best player in the world. “I’m happy for Leo and the work he does in the team,” he said. “He’s the number one, the best.”
Messi’s teammate and compatriot Javier Mascherano shared the sentiment and warned opposing teams that Messi, who is still only 27, is far from finished. "It’s huge that Messi has equalled Raul," said Mascherano. “That shows what Messi is doing as a player. He’s equalled a legend like Raul, such a historic player, and he’s still only young. We know that he’s got a long future ahead of him and that’s very important for Leo.”
Meanwhile, Messi himself feels that his goals in the two finals against Manchester United were the ones he enjoyed the most. “I don't know if there is one in particular I remember, but the ones in the finals are always special,” he said.
Chelsea held as Hazard misses penalty
Chelsea were held 1-1 by Maribor as they failed to qualify for the next round after Eden Hazard missed from the spot late on. Agim Ibraimi's superb finish gave the home side the lead but the Blues rallied and got a deserved equaliser through Nemanja Matic.
Hazard then missed a chance to give Chelsea the lead from the spot but manager Jose Mourinho still felt that he was the best player for his side. “Players like this [Hazard] can miss a penalty and still be the best in my team,” said the Portuguese.
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Lionel Messi joined Real Madrid striker Raul as the highest goalscorer in Champions League history with a brace away at Ajax as the Catalonians ended 2-0 winners on Wednesday.
The Argentine scored both goals for his side, one in each half, to overtake arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the record, who had a surprising off night on Tuesday when Real defeated Liverpool 1-0 thanks to a Karim Benzema strike.
Messi came agonisingly close to scoring a hat-trick and breaking the record outright after skipping past several challenges but his close range shot was ultimately blocked and scooped straight into the arms of keeper Jasper Cillessen.
The Ajax keeper was partly to blame for Barca’s opener though as he was out-jumped by Marc Bartra, who then crossed the ball into the middle for Messi to head home with the keeper out of goal. However, Messi still had a lot to do but just managed to squeeze it past Ricardo van Rhijn on the line to score only his fourth ever Champions League goal with his head and equal Ronaldo’s tally of 70.
Ajax held firm after going a goal behind and threatened on several occasions, including a superb flowing move that was halted by Jordi Alba and an Arkadiusz Milik free header that went out after hitting the post. The best chance of the second half though fell to Luis Suarez who was played through on goal but was denied by Cillessen one-on-one. Messi then tried to curl in the rebound but hit it just wide, with Neymar perhaps better placed to take the shot.
However, Messi was not to be denied the record-equalling goal and when Joël Veltman cynically brought an end to a Messi run to earn his second booking of the night, it seemed only a matter of time before the Argentine made history.
The goal arrived in the 76th minute when the Argentine finished a move that he had started to tap home a Pedro centre and kill off the game.
The result meant that the Catalonians have qualified for the next round along with PSG but all the post-match limelight was understandably on the Argentine, whose 0.79 goals per match ratio is now the best ever in the Champions League.
Teammate Xavi was quick to dub Messi the best player in the world. “I’m happy for Leo and the work he does in the team,” he said. “He’s the number one, the best.”
Messi’s teammate and compatriot Javier Mascherano shared the sentiment and warned opposing teams that Messi, who is still only 27, is far from finished. "It’s huge that Messi has equalled Raul," said Mascherano. “That shows what Messi is doing as a player. He’s equalled a legend like Raul, such a historic player, and he’s still only young. We know that he’s got a long future ahead of him and that’s very important for Leo.”
Meanwhile, Messi himself feels that his goals in the two finals against Manchester United were the ones he enjoyed the most. “I don't know if there is one in particular I remember, but the ones in the finals are always special,” he said.
Chelsea held as Hazard misses penalty
Chelsea were held 1-1 by Maribor as they failed to qualify for the next round after Eden Hazard missed from the spot late on. Agim Ibraimi's superb finish gave the home side the lead but the Blues rallied and got a deserved equaliser through Nemanja Matic.
Hazard then missed a chance to give Chelsea the lead from the spot but manager Jose Mourinho still felt that he was the best player for his side. “Players like this [Hazard] can miss a penalty and still be the best in my team,” said the Portuguese.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.