AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
- Lionel Messi scored a crafty goal early in Barcelona’s Champions League match against Lyon.
- Messi popped a gentle penalty kick right down the middle of the goal, deceiving Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who dived to the ground in anticipation of a sharp strike.
- The shot is known as a "Panenka" penalty and is one of the many psychological advantages Messi has employed over opposing goalkeepers in his time as one of the most feared players on the planet.
Lionel Messi added yet another impressive goal to his highlight reel on Wednesday, scoring the opening goal from the spot to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead in the second leg of their Champions League matchup against French club Lyon.
Barcelona earned the penalty kick just 17 minutes into the match when Lyon defender Jason Denayer made contact with Luis Suárez in the box.
Messi stepped up to take the kick, and while Barcelona’s captain has plenty of different ways to strike a penalty into the back of the net, he decided to get a bit cheeky with his first goal of the match, popping the ball right down the middle of the net as Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes dived to the ground with the hopes of stopping the strike.
Messi’s kick was what’s known as a "Panenka" penalty, named after Czech player Antonín Panenka, who popularized the move after using it to win the UEFA Euro 1976 tournament, sneaking his surprise softball past German goalkeeper Sepp Maier to claim the title.
Today, the move is a popular move in the arsenal of talented players across the world and is especially effective when employed by some of the world’s most intimidating scorers.
With the goal, Barcelona took a 1-0 aggregate lead over Lyon after the two teams played to a 0-0 draw in their first match.
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See Also:
- See the look on Neymar’s face when he realized PSG had been dumped out of the Champions League in the last minute
- Alexi Lalas explained why handballs should be a simple call moments before a controversial VAR review knocked PSG out of Champions League
- Manchester United shocks Paris Saint-Germain with help of controversial last-second penalty kick awarded by VAR
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Tyler Lauletta)