FOOTBALL fans were left with a startling realisation it could be the “end of an era” after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were both dumped out of the Champions League Round of 16 for the first time since 2004/05.
Messi (33), did his best to keep Barcelona in the Champions League second-leg with PSG after a brilliant long-range goal.
But Barcelona fans’ hopes were dashed only moments later after Messi’s horror penalty miss, which all but confirmed the Spanish outfit’s exit from the Round of 16.
PSG and French superstar Kylian Mbappe stole the show with four goals across the two legs, which many claimed was a passing of the torch to the next generation.
A day earlier, Ronaldo (36), fell flat against a spirited Porto outfit.
Ronaldo failed to score in either leg as Juventus fell short against Porto — losing 4-4 on aggregate due to away goals — leaving the Portuguese star reeling.
On the same day, Dortmund’s Erling Haaland scored a brace to become the quickest ever player to score 20 goals, in just 14 games, at the age of 20.
Ronaldo and Messi era over?
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The Champions League quarter-final has been graced with either Ronaldo or Messi for 16 straight years, up until this season.
This remarkable era stat prompted many football fans to point out that the 2020/21 Champions League season could be the ‘end of an era’ for two of football’s greatest ever players.
Haaland (20) scored in the a double against Sevilla 35th and 54th minute of the second-leg tie against Sevilla, which at the time put Dortmund 2-0 up and all but ended any hope for the Spanish outfit.
But the second goal marked an incredible record for the young Norwegian. Haaland became the fastest ever player to score 20 goals in the Champions League. It took him just 14 games to bang in 20 goals, eclipsing English striker Harry Kane’s record of 24 games.
To put it into perspective, it took Messi 40 games and Ronaldo 54 games to score 20 goals.
Haaland also created other records with his brace. He is also the youngest player to score 20 goals and the first player to score 10+ goals in their first two seasons in the Champions League.
Mbappe, whose PSG side defeated Barca, scored four goals over the two-leg tie, breaking Messi’s record as the youngest player to reach 25 Champions League goals in the process.
- Yahoo Sports
