Liverpool was dominating in the second half. Fullbacks were flying forward, midfielders were ripping shots and forwards were bamboozling defenders.

But only Barcelona had Lionel Messi.

More than ever before, Messi is carrying Barcelona this season. Unlike past Champions League-winning sides Messi has been a part of, he is both the primary goal scorer and primary goal creator. 

Barcelona and Liverpool both started the first leg of their Champions League semifinal with plenty of attacking intent, throwing caution to the wind in search of a go-ahead goal. It didn’t take too long to arrive, with a Luis Suarez goal vs Liverpool giving the home side a lead in the 26th minute. 

And the former Liverpool man had no problem celebrating his goal.

Often, players choose to refrain from celebrating a goal against a former club as a show of respect. It’s a nice gesture. 

It seems as though football fans become more emboldened the better their team does. And while many British supporters like to claim they’re better than their continental counterparts when it comes to racism, violence and general hooliganism, Liverpool fans are proving they’re a despicable lot ahead of the Champions League semifinal first leg in Barcelona on Wednesday.

Iker Casillas, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper with Spain and three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, suffered a suspected heart attack during a morning training session with Porto on Wednesday. 

Casillas, 37, was taken to a local hospital in Porto and is in stable condition and “out of danger.”

Forget all the complaints about which team had more rest or which team has more money — the first leg of the Champions League semifinals between Ajax and Tottenham was everything you want in a big match. 

Full of attacking intent from both sides, neither of which backed away from a single challenge, Ajax turned 30 minutes of first-half dominance into a 1-0 victory, a third-straight away win in the knockout rounds for the Amsterdam side. Spurs, meanwhile, suffered back-to-back defeats at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Battered, bruised and bloodied, Jan Vertonghen was splayed out on the turf.

The Spurs defender smashed his own head into the back of teammate Toby Alderweireld’s head going for a free kick, causing a faucet of blood to spew forth. 

It was gruesome, and it summed up Tottenham’s opening half against Ajax.

(Editor's note: This story is for the 2018-19 season. If you'd like to see our 2019-2020 story on how to watch the Champions League and other leagues, click here.)

Konrad de la Fuente is living the true American dream right now. The 17-year-old Miami native is rising through the ranks of the Barcelona academy, playing for the Barcelona B squad and in the UEFA Youth League (essentially the Champions League for youth teams).