#5 Barcelona vs Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League 2011
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Barcelona were already leading 1-0 at Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the 2011 Champions League, thanks to Messi. With only a few minutes of the first-leg left, he really did save the best for last.
A quick free-kick in the centre-circle was taken by Sergio Busquets to Messi, who was faced by Lassana Diarra. The Argentinian played the ball back to Busquets who stopped the ball dead and used himself as a shield for Messi to take the ball from him.
With the Real midfielder in hot pursuit, Messi had got far enough in front of him for Diarra to give up the chase or risk another free-kick, this time in dangerous territory.
Cutting across both Sergio Ramos and Raul Albiol, he was into the area. Marcelo came at him from his right side and Iker Casillas came out to spread himself, but Messi calmly slotted another right-foot shot into the space that Casillas had left vacant to his right.
Given the enormity of the fixture and that this goal sealed Barca’s passage to the final, there can’t be any issue with it being the best he’s scored.
