Lionel Messi’s teams cannot finish job again
No matter how good Lionel Messi is, his teams have not been able to show up the big moments. Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to Liverpool marks Messi s sixth straight year with a disappointing exit from a major competition.
In soccer, Argentine forward Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona is arguably the best player of his era. Despite his talent, neither Barcelona nor Argentina have not always reached their potential in big competitions.
Tuesday, Liverpool overcame a 3-0 first-leg defeat to reach the Champions League final 4-3 on aggregate after a 4-0 victory. Divock Origi and substitute Georginio Wijnaldum each scored twice for the Reds.
For Barcelona, this marks a fourth straight year without Champions League success and ends the dream of playing a European final in Spain at Atlético Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
2014 World Cup heartbreak
The World Cup is where players are judged for winning or losing or losing. Like in 1990, Argentina had no luck against Germany in the 2014 World Cup Final, where the Germans beat Messi and Argentina 1-0.
2015 Copa America heartbreak to Chile
In South America, the Copa America is the biggest event for participating nations. In 2015, Argentina could not overcome Chile playing at home in Santiago. After a 0-0 stalemate through 120 minutes.
Chile buried all four penalties to give Argentina its second straight tough exit from a major final. Messi was the only Argentine player who scored his penalty against Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
2016 Deja vu against Chile
In 2016, the Copa America Centenario was America’s chance to see Messi potentially lift Argentina to success. Instead, the final was a replay between Argentina and Chile, which also needed penalties after a 0-0 score. Unlike in 2015, Messi’s penalty never threatened Bravo’s goal.
Chile nailed four penalties to hand Argentina its second consecutive Copa America loss.
2017 Another year, another Champions League whimper
In 2017, Barcelona looked ready for another Champions League run. Barcelona overcame Paris Saint-Germain in an 11-goal, round of 16 encounter. Juventus took control with a 3-0, first-leg win that buried Messi’s hopes of more European glory.
Barcelona could not mustard a single goal in both games.
2018 is frustrating for Messi
Some years are hard on the football club and international level for superstars. Messi’s trouble started after Barcelona looked great after a 4-1 home win over Roma in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Then, Roma responded with a 3-0 win to reach the semi-final 4-4 on away goals.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia gave Messi another chance for redemption. After drawing with Iceland and a 3-0 Croatia defeat, Messi’s first-half strike kept Argentina alive to a round of 16 match with France, where the eventual World Cup champion French side won 4-3.
Next. Don't even try to explain Liverpool's dramatic win. dark
Despite being a legend, Lionel Messi has been on the wrong side of crushing and disappointing results in his football career. Tuesday’s loss shows that great players cannot always carry teams to trophies.