Messi's brilliance lifts Barcelona to improbable Champions League comeback

by Martin Rogers  

 Lionel Messi produced one of the most dazzling displays of his career to lead Barcelona to a stirring Champions League comeback against AC Milan on Tuesday and created a slice of tournament history along the way.

Picking a favorite from Messi's seemingly endless feats of brilliance, which seem to happen on a weekly basis, is a fool's errand, yet there is little doubt that the importance of this contest gives it extra weight.

Barca was facing elimination after a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of its round-of-16 clash against Italian giant AC Milan, a deficit from which no team had ever recovered in the Champions League's 21 seasons of existence. Yet, with a flick of his left cleat just five minutes into the contest, Messi sent his side on their way to an inspired 4-0 victory that kept alive the club's dream of adding to its modern dynasty of three European titles in the past six years.

Messi added a second goal just before halftime to suck the life out of Milan, and the one-way traffic continued after the break. David Villa put Barca ahead on aggregate after 56 minutes, before Jordi Alba added a fourth in the dying moments.

Messi has occasionally struggled for the Argentina national team, but his efforts for his club side have been virtually flawless. Yet, if there was one knock on him before it was that he had often struggled to produce his brilliant best against Italian teams and their steely defensive structure. In eight previous Champions League games against Italian opposition, Messi had only scored three times, all of them from penalty kicks, leading some over-confident Milan supporters to proclaim their team had his measure from open play.

But on this night, the little Argentinean with the magic feet showed the folly of that belief – and in the theory that there could be another player on the planet to match him, despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s superb season for Real Madrid.

Ronaldo rose to the top of one arbitrary media poll this week as the world's best player, but for all his explosive excellence he remains a shade behind Messi, no question about it, mainly because the Barcelona man does things that no other players would think of, let alone execute.

For his first goal on Tuesday he was surrounded, mobbed by a posse of five Milan defenders, but it mattered not. One perfect touch drew two men away, a nudge of the ball creating the tiniest fraction of space, and that was all he needed.

A split second later the ball was in the back of the net, all before goalkeeper Christian Abbiati had any idea what was going on.

The second was a different goal but a similar story. Messi's left foot was responsible again, firing home from the edge of the penalty area as the Milan defense was once more left powerless.

A few moments earlier, M'baye Niang had Milan's best chance of the night when he charged clear on goal but struck his effort against the post. However, even if the visitors had re-established their two-goal advantage, it would have been hard to imagine them staving off the Barca juggernaut.

On this evidence it would take either bravery or foolhardiness to bet against Barca regaining its Champions League crown, and its fiercest challenge may come in the form of hated Spanish rival Madrid, and their talisman Ronaldo.

Yet Barca seems to be in the mindset of quieting the doubters right now, just like Messi is himself.

The Spanish league title is pretty much in the books for Barca and another Champions League crown would surely lead to a fifth straight world player of the year award for Messi.

With each fresh display of excellence, it becomes harder to think of what Messi could possibly do for an encore, though Barcelona will happily settle for more of the same.

After another brutal fight, should Wanderlei Silva walk away from mixed martial arts?

Yahoo.com

After nine minutes and eight seconds of unmitigated violence Saturday, Wanderlei Silva was, once again, on top of the mixed martial arts worlds.

Silva isn't about titles or decision wins or game plans. He's as fierce a fighter who has ever stepped foot into a cage, a guy who cares more about bringing the fans from their seats than having his arm raised.

He managed to do both on Saturday, sending the crowd at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo into delirium with a brutal knockout of Brian Stann at 4:08 of the second round in one of the great slugfests in UFC history.

Returning to the arena where he made his reputation as one of the sport's most exciting fighters while starring in the PRIDE Fighting Championship, Silva survived a back-and-forth shootout with the ex-Marine hero by landing an overhand right and a left hook with about a minute left in the second.

Stann went down and Silva landed four punches from the top before referee Marc Godard stepped in to halt it.

[Also: UFC on Fuel 8 fighter bonuses: Silva tops list]

If Silva had lost, it likely would have been his final fight. He hasn't won two in a two since 2005-2006 and he's taken a brutal amount of punishment en route to becoming one of the sport's most beloved warriors.

Instead of going out on a loss, though, perhaps it's time for the 36-year-old to walk away on his own terms. He'd be leaving after one of his most memorable wins, won while standing and trading toe-to-toe with one of the sport's most heavy-handed punchers.

Silva loves to fight – and entertain – so much that he'll probably never go willingly. Retiring is likely the last thing on his mind.

It would be, however, a wonderful way to go out, winning in Japan in a typically brutal Silva style.

"I'm so happy," said an emotional Silva, who wrapped himself in the Brazilian flag and jumped into the stands to embrace several fans before heading back to the locker room. "Thanks to [UFC president] Dana White; thanks to the UFC for the wonderful opportunity to fight here."

It was a show from the minute the bell rang until the second that Godard jumped in to stop it. For the most part, it wasn't technique or strategy. It was guts, heart, power and courage, as they stood in front of each other and fired haymakers.

Stann seemed to badly hurt Silva twice in the first round, but Silva got in plenty of his shots and appeared to break Stann's nose. Blood was gushing from Stann's nose from the early moments of the fight.

The end came when, with both men standing square to the other, their feet wide apart, Silva fired a looping right that caught Stann on the cheek. He quickly followed with a left hook and Stann fell to the canvas.

Silva landed four shots on the ground to prompt the end.

The loss continued a disappointing trend for Stann, who has lost the majority of his most significant matches in the UFC. Stann has now lost three of his last four fights, with a knockout of Alessio Sakara his only win compared to losses to Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping and Silva.

Stann, though, played a big role in the entertaining match and was classy as usual afterward.

"I knew what I had at risk when I signed on the dotted line to face Wanderlei, fighting here in Japan," Stann said. "Wanderlei is one of my favorite fighters ever. He inspired me to start in this sport. I'm proud to be a part of his career, as much as this hurts. My heart is broken, but I'm proud I fought him."

Stann landed hard, and hurt Silva several times. Silva has been hurt far too often in his career, knocked cold on many occasions. He's one of the classiest guys away from the cage and one of its grittiest competitors inside of it.

It would be great to see him walk away, his health intact, and go out on top.

Much like one-time rival Chuck Liddell, though, it's that love of the fight and the gunslinger's mentality that will bring him back.

It may not end pretty for Wanderlei Silva, but it was a wonderfully violent nine minutes on Saturday.