This Day, That Year: Lionel Messi Scores Four Past Arsenal in UEFA Champions League
Arsenal secured a crucial 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium and travelled to Camp Nou with the hopes of a famous win. And the North-Londoners had a dream start to the second leg as Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner put them ahead after just 19 minutes in the clock. But Messi had different plans as he cancelled out the lead two minutes later with a brilliant strike.
On this day (April 6), ten years ago Lionel Messi produced a masterclass against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League. By 2010, Messi had announced himself as one of the best players on the planet but was yet to assert his dominance against a top team from England. And it all changed when the Barcelona superstar struck four past Arsene Wenger’s side to send the Spanish club in the semi-finals with a 6-3 aggregate win. Here's Why Lionel Messi Can Perform in the Premier League.
Arsenal secured a crucial 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium and travelled to Camp Nou in hope of a famous win. And the North-Londoners had a dream start to the second leg as Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner put them ahead after just 19 minutes in the clock. But Messi had different plans as he cancelled out the lead two minutes later with a brilliant strike from outside the box. Lionel Messi Best Goal Videos: Relish Top Strikes By The Barcelona Captain During Coronavirus Lockdown.
This was the start of the downfall for Arsenal as the Catalan giants continued to dominate and Lionel Messi overwhelmed the Premier League side. The Argentine then pounced on a pass from Pedro to give his side the lead in the match and 5 minutes later dinked the ball over Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal to complete a sensational 21-minute first-half hat-trick.
Watch All the Goals
In the second half, Barcelona were in complete control of the tie and toying with the Gunners. The La Liga club looked certain to get a fourth goal on the night but Pedro missed a clear opportunity. However, the inevitable happened as Lionel Messi broke the offside trap and ran behind the Gunners defence to slot a fourth past Almunia in the Arsenal goal.
This was Lionel Messi’s first hat-trick against a club from England but it was worth the wait and it was the first time that the Argentine had managed to score four goals in a single game. Arsenal are Messi’s favourite opponents from the country as he has scored more goals against them than any other club from England.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 06, 2020 03:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).