Follow the major changes at the Nou Camp in our FREE Barca newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice There aren't many teams that Lionel Messi doesn't get the better of, but Liverpool are one of them. But in fairness to Barcelona's Argentinean genius, he last faced the Reds in a competitive match over 12 years ago. Liverpool's 2-1 win at the Nou Camp in the last-16 of the Champions League in 2007 remains the most recent time an English side beat Barca there, although it is of course far more famous for Craig Bellamy's golf club antics with John Arne Riise - with the pair just so happening to be Liverpool's two scorers on the night. A young Messi played in that game but found himself up against an inspired Reds debutant in Alvaro Arbeloa, who kept him in check throughout the 90 minutes. (Image: PA) Messi failed to score, and then didn't net in the return game at Anfield as Barca won 1-0 on the night through an Eidur Gudjohnsen strike but bowed out on away goals. And in terms of Messi's competitive history with the Reds, that's it. He did feature in a Wembley friendly at the beginning of Jurgen Klopp's first full season in charge of Liverpool in 1016, which the Reds won 4-0 , but up until this evening that's been it. (Image: AFP/Getty Images) Lionel Messi's goalscoring record against English clubs Arsenal - played 6, scored 9 Manchester City - played 6, scored 6 Chelsea - played 10, scored 3 Manchester United - played 6, scored 4 Tottenham - played 2, scored 2 Liverpool - played 2, scored 0 Total: Played 32, scored 24 Which means of Messi's 24 goals in 32 appearances against English sides, none of them have come against Liverpool. The Reds are one of only six sides the Argentinean has faced in the competition and not netted against, joining Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Udinese, Rubin Kazan and Benfica. If they make it through this evening still on that last, they might be a long way towards the final.<doc-sep>Lionel Messi has put Barcelona on the verge of the Champions League final by scoring twice in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of theri semi-final on Thursday (NZ time). The Argentine magician bagged his 600th goal in Barcelona colours with a phenomenal long-range free-kick eight minutes from time. Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez reminded the visitors of his clinical finishing by splitting a tense and finely-balanced game at the Nou Camp in the 26th minute. Juergen Klopp's side went on to carve out a number of chances but spurning them all. Barca captain Messi scored the all-important second goal in the 75th minute, chesting the ball down on the rebound and dribbling it over the line after Suarez found the crossbar with a shot off his knee. The Argentine then added to Barca's already huge advantage to take into next Tuesday's second leg at Anfield by scoring his milestone goal in style, smashing into the top corner with a sizzling free kick in the 82nd minute. Reuters<doc-sep>Sometimes it feels like there are no more superlatives left. Seriously, what else can be said about this little guy with the No 10 shirt and magic in his feet other than to ask, perhaps, whether there is anyone who wants to persist with the argument that Pelé, or Diego Maradona, or any of the others, have ever played this sport any better? There really can be no argument left when Lionel Messi takes the game to these levels and, for Liverpool, that created a harsh reminder about the realities of the Champions League. The truth is that Jürgen Klopp and his players could be forgiven for thinking they might have come away with a significantly better result. They certainly had their chances, at 1-0, to put themselves in a better position for the return leg. At this level, however, the teams that generally succeed are the ones with the clinical edge. Or the ones, in Barça’s case, who have a genius in their ranks. A genius? Well, what other word can be used to describe Messi when he decorates football’s biggest occasions with the kind of gorgeous free-kick he curled in here for Barcelona’s third goal? Messi had scored Barcelona’s second, seven minutes earlier, after Liverpool had already suffered an opening goal from Luis Suárez, a one-time Anfield hero. Did he celebrate? What do you think? Quick Guide Lionel Messi: 683 games, 600 goals Show Messi reached 600 for Barça against Liverpool. When did he score his first? 14 years ago, to the day – 1 May 2005, aged 17, against Albacete in La Liga. The assist was provided by Ronaldinho, who said afterwards: “I started out at the same age as him, and it’s difficult. He’s just a child, he’s the youngest of us all. But senior players helped me with jokes and cheerfulness – and I try do the same.” So how long did it take him to settle down? Not too long. It took him just 1,721 days from that first strike to reach 100 goals for Barcelona. He then needed another 654 to reach his 200th goal, 473 to reach his 400th, and 735 to score his 500th – which he did with a strike against Real at the Bernabéu on 23 April 2017. 599: The combined total of goals scored by Liverpool and Manchester United’s all-time top scorers – between them one shy of Messi’s haul so far. Ian Rush hit 346 in 660 games for Liverpool; Wayne Rooney 253 in 559 for United. How far ahead is he on Barcelona’s all-time rankings? He now has 368 more goals than any other Barcelona player – becoming their all-time top-scorer on 20 March 2012 with a hat-trick against Granada. It put him ahead of César Rodríguez , who scored his last goal 58 years earlier, in 1954. Barça’s top five: • Lionel Messi 600 • César Rodríguez 232 • Ladislao Kubala 194 • Josep Samitier 184 • Luis Suárez 177 Photograph: Lluís Gené/AFP Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. We should know enough about Suárez by now to realise he is not one for football chivalry. He just is not wired that way, particularly when it is a Champions League semi-final and his team are trying to win their third treble in a decade. Realistically, it is difficult now to see any way that Liverpool’s supporters can add “Madrid 2019” to the banners on the Kop that flutter with nostalgic memories of Istanbul 2005, as well as Rome 1977 and 1984, plus Wembley 1978 and Paris 1981. True, Liverpool will try to remind themselves of all the teams who have wilted at Anfield over the decades. Equally, they found out here how difficult it is to restrain Messi without being able to land a decisive blow themselves. Of all their regrets, it was their inability to score an away goal that might wind up Klopp the most. Sadio Mané wasted a glorious chance in the first half and, late on, Mohamed Salah turned his shot against a post after a goal-line clearance had spun his way. That, in a nutshell, perhaps sums up the difference between Messi and the players on the next rung below – the ones who can be described as great footballers without necessarily being football greats. OH MY 🤯😂 LIONEL MESSI YOU ARE NOT FROM THIS EARTH!!!! ! What a way to score your 600th goal for Barcelona 🔥🔥🔥 We are not worthy. pic.twitter.com/9QTZ0iycSH — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 1, 2019 At times Barça’s plan seemed to revolve around nothing more than getting the ball to Messi and hoping he would be able to weave past however many defenders stood in his route. And Messi, being Messi, he always looked up for the challenge. Even ignoring, for a moment, his two goals, how about the occasion in the first half when he showed the ball to Andy Robertson then dinked it over his opponent with such audacious brilliance, not even breaking stride, a roar of approval swept round this cavernous old stadium? Soon afterwards, he had deceived Fabinho in such a way the mind went back to James Milner trying to stop Messi on a previous assignment here, four years ago, with Manchester City. On that occasion Messi’s nutmeg left Milner on his backside and when the camera panned to Pep Guardiola, watching the game in the stands as Bayern Munich’s manager, he had his head in his hands, roaring with laughter at the impudence of his former player. No wonder Milner made sure, with a shoulder-barge to send Messi into touch, that the Argentinian knew of his presence in this rematch. Not that Messi is unaccustomed to that kind of treatment. He takes his revenge with the kind of run that sparked panic in Liverpool’s defence, with 75 minutes on the clock, leading to Fabinho inadvertently turning the ball into the path of Sergi Roberto, who was running through the middle. Robertson dived in and when the ball broke to Suárez his volley thudded against the crossbar. Messi was following up to control the rebound and nonchalantly run the ball into an exposed net. Alisson is helpless to stop Messi’s sensational free kick. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images His free-kick came next: 25 yards out, another elegant swipe of that left foot and an almost inconceivable trajectory to take the ball wide of the four-man defensive wall before curling towards the top right-hand corner of Alisson’s goal. The ball was still rising as it hit the net and, briefly, Liverpool’s players strayed dangerously close to losing their composure. Alisson had to be waved back to his own goalmouth after deciding to go forward for a late corner. Salah’s shot against the woodwork was a grievous blow for Liverpool and the substitute Ousmane Dembélé, set up beautifully by Messi on a two-against-two breakaway, really ought to have made it 4-0 with the final kick of the night. Messi was so predominantly involved it felt strange, to say the least, that he did not actually play a key part in the opening goal. Arturo Vidal had switched the play with a long, diagonal pass from right to left. Philippe Coutinho turned the ball into the path of Jordi Alba and the cross was beautifully weighted to give Suárez the chance to steal in behind Liverpool’s centre-halves. Virgil van Dijk had not been quick enough to push out and Suárez slid in, jutting out his right leg, to apply the decisive touch. Quick Guide Follow Guardian sport on social media Show Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sport Facebook: like our football and sport pages Instagram: our favourite photos, films and stories YouTube: subscribe to our football and sport channels Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images Europe Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Presumably, Klopp will bring the fit-again Roberto Firmino back into his starting lineup for the return leg and Trent Alexander-Arnold will take over again from Joe Gomez as a more attacking choice at right-back. Yet Liverpool’s disappointment was compounded by an injury to Naby Keïta and, barring something extraordinary, Tuesday’s game will almost certainly be their last involvement in this season’s competition.<doc-sep>
(CNN) When your team is about to face Barcelona there is a question that is always asked of the opposing manager: "How do you stop Lionel Messi?" For 74 minutes of the first leg of its Champions League semifinal on Wednesday, Liverpool appeared to have found an answer. For much of the night, Messi was on the periphery of the contest, struggling to find a way to make an impact on a highly charged contest at the Camp Nou. And yet, in seven second-half minutes, it all changed. Two goals from the magician, his 599th and 600th for the club, ensured Barcelona claimed a 3-0 victory and all but ended Liverpool's hopes of making a second successive final. Messi's first may have been fortuitous, but his second, an exquisite free kick that defied belief, was pure box office. The scoreline was cruel on Liverpool, which had chances to score throughout the contest, but was ultimately made to pay the price for its profligacy in front of goal. Even at 3-0 down, Liverpool had chances with Roberto Firmino's effort hacked off the line and Mohamed Salah striking the rebound against the post. But this was not Liverpool's night. Instead, it belonged to Messi. The Argentine, whose goal guaranteed Barcelona's eighth domestic title in 11 years last weekend, has now scored 48 times in 46 appearances. Few would be willing to bet against him reaching 50 before the end of the season. Suarez ends drought And yet, for all the the talk about Messi, it was a more familiar figure who inflicted the first blow. Luis Suarez, once of Liverpool, had not scored in the Champions League all season, and so, rather predictably, chose this contest to end his drought. Suarez celebrates his first Champions League goal of the season. Jordi Alba found space on the left and his exquisite pass split the Liverpool defense wide open, allowing Suarez to ghost through and send a fine finish into the far corner. It was refreshing to see Suarez ignore the convention of players refusing to celebrate after scoring against their former club. Such a goal deserved a celebration, and Suarez was keen to ensure everybody was aware of his delight. Liverpool had, until then, appeared comfortable against the movement of Messi, Suarez, and another of its former players, Philippe Coutinho. Indeed, it should have drawn level before the interval through the in-form Sadio Mane. Messi struggled to make an impact in the early stages of the contest. Few players have been as impressive in front of goal as Mane in recent months, the forward having scored 24 goals in all competitions this season. So when Jordan Henderson's inch perfect through ball fell into Mane's path, it was perhaps even more surprising that the Senegalese could only lift the ball over the crossbar when most would have expected the net to bulge. It was the kind of opportunity Liverpool needed to take in a game of such magnitude. History suggested that the visiting side would need to be clinical in front of goal given Barcelona's astonishing home record in the competition of 31 home games without defeat. Liverpool, though, persevered. First, James Milner's fierce drive was tipped away by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The German then produced an even better save, this time turning Salah's effort behind after the Liverpool forward had fired towards goal. Suddenly, Barcelona, which had seemed so confident in the first half, began to appear vulnerable. Liverpool, playing with the confidence that has been so evident throughout its attempt to win a first domestic title since 1990, looked a far more dangerous proposition as it dominated possession. That domination should have yielded a far greater reward just before the hour mark when the visiting side scythed Barcelona wide open only for Milner to fire straight at the goalkeeper when he appeared certain to score. Messi magic It was a miss that Liverpool would rue and, of course, it was Messi who administered the pain. The Argentine, on the periphery for much of the contest, drove towards goal before his pass was deflected into the path of Suarez, whose effort hit the crossbar before rebounding into the path of Messi to tap home. Liverpool's Salah hit the post late on after his side fell 3-0 behind. Seven minutes later, there was more pain for Liverpool.