Champions League: Messi matches Ronaldo and Raul scoring feat with goal vs Slavia Prague
Barcelona beat Slavia Prague 2-1 on Wednesday evening to keep their place at the top of Champions League Group F intact.
The Blaugrana have come under criticism for their performance, however, with many expecting more from the Spanish giants who were fortunate to concede just once.
But one positive from the win was Lionel Messi adding to his impressive Champions League goalscoring record. The Argentinian forward opened the scoring in Prague by calmly side footing the ball past the goalkeeper inside three minutes.
It was his 113th Champions League goal, moving one closer to all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 127. But, Messi did manage to level another Ronaldo record with his goal against Slavia Prague.
In 138 Champions League games since his debut, Messi has faced 39 different teams. Slavia Prague represented the 33rd team Messi has managed to score against in the competition, joining Ronaldo and Real Madrid legend Raul as the only three players to achieve this feat.
Only Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Rubin Kazan, Benfica, Udinese and Borussia Dortmund have prevented Messi from scoring in the Champions League.
Ronaldo, who took his tally to 33 with a goal against Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday Two earlier this season, missed the chance to move one ahead by drawing a blank against Lokomotiv Moscow, allowing Messi to catch up in their ongoing ‘GOAT’ duel.
Messi’s goal against Slavia Prague also means he has now scored in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons since getting his first in 2005/06.
However, the Argentinian is still one short of Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs’ record of scoring in 16 different Champions League seasons. All eyes will be on Messi to see if he can break this record next season.
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