Both the veterans of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have won nine Champions League titles among each other so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Lionel Messi. (Photo: AFP)
For the first time in 15 years, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature in the semifinals of UEFA Champions League. The last time it had happened was in the 2004-05 season, which was Messi’s debut and Ronaldo’s third season in top-flight football.
Barcelona suffered a huge embarassment in the form of their 2-8 defeat to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals on Friday, while Ronaldo’s Juventus were knocked out from the Round of 16 by Lyon.
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Both the veterans of the game have won nine Champions League titles among each other. While Messi has won it four times with Barcelona, Ronaldo has won one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid. The Argentine’s last Champions League glory was in 2014-15, whereas Ronaldo’s last was in the 2017-18 season.
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Meanwhile, Bayern Munich on Friday scripted history as they hammered Barcelona 8-2 in the quarterfinals of the ongoing UEFA Champions League. The Bavarians knocked the Catalans out of the tournament to book their semifinal berth.
The eight goals scored in Lisbon by Bayern Munich are the most scored by any team in a knockout game in the history of Europe’s premier club competition.
Also, it was the first time since 1946 that Barcelona conceded eight goals. Their last such embarassment had come 74 years ago when Sevilla defeated them 8-0. Exiting the Champions League, Barcelona finished their season without any significant title for the first time since 2008.
Juventus, on the other hand, were knocked out of this season’s UEFA Champions League from the pre-quarters on the basis of an away goal. Even though Juventus won 2-1 in the second leg at home, the aggregate score remained 2-2 due to Lyon’s crucial 1-0 win in the first leg in March.
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