The goal that Lionel Messi scored tonight against Chelsea, just 2:08 into Barcelona’s 3-0 victory vs. Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, is the quickest goal that he has ever scored in his career for club or country. That’s 602 goals in total, and this was the earliest into a match of all.
Entering this Champions League tie, Messi had never scored against Chelsea in eight games and that made for his worst individual record against any one team. However, he scored Barca’s only goal in the away leg at Stamford Bridge, and now added two more tonight at home.
https://twitter.com/BUniversalVid/status/974011903969284099
The 100th goal in the #ChampionsLeague of the Magician Leo #Messi#BARCHE #BarcaChelsea pic.twitter.com/3Ksso3jeh2
— be INUTILE (@be_INUTILE) March 14, 2018
The Argentine went 5-hole twice on Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois, and that pair of nutmegs brought him to 100 Champions League goals scored over the course of his career. Lionel Messi hit the century club in his 123rd game, 14 games faster than Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the benchmark last April.
Barcelona advanced through to the Champions League quarterfinals on aggregate 4-1. Chelsea join Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as English teams that were bounced from the competition in the knockout round.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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