WATCH: Lionel Messi's Equalizer Clutch for Barcelona in UCL Draw vs. Chelsea
Lionel Messi finally has his goal against Chelsea, and it's a big one.
Messi's 75th-minute equalizer gave Barcelona a 1-1 draw–and an away goal–at Chelsea, after it appeared the Blues would walk away from Stamford Bridge with the slight edge. Willian's opener, after he hit the post twice, had given Chelsea plenty of optimism, but Andreas Christensen's turnover sparked the equalizing sequence for Barcelona in the latest edition of what has become a regular Champions League rivalry.
Barcelona dominated possession in the early going, with Chelsea looking to strike on the counter. Messi flashed a bit of danger in the third minute, beating a couple of defenders and lofting in a cross, only for no teammate to be making a run and Chelsea clearing its lines.
Chelsea did have a chance in the fifth minute through Eden Hazard, who fired in a rocket from long range only for it to scream by Marc-Andre ter Stegen's goal post.
Four minutes later, Antonio Rudiger had another half-chance for Chelsea, meeting Willian's corner kick for a header, only to put his opportunity wide of the mark.
Chelsea did well to keep Barcelona outside of its final third, protecting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from having to do much. His first real necessary intervention came in the 28th minute, on a rather harmless cross from Paulinho.
Chelsea threatened in the attacking end in the 30th minute, with Ivan Rakitic forced into a yellow-card foul by Willian that gifted the Blues a free kick. Marcos Alonso had it dip over the wall but didn't trouble ter Stegen too much, who shifted to his left to make the catch.
Willian continued to cause trouble for Barcelona, curling in a right-footed blast from over 20 yards that beat Ter Stegen but rocketed off the post in the 33rd minute.
Some seven minutes later, Willian hit the other post, pulling another right-footed blast from distance off the left upright.
Willian finally delivered the breakthrough in the 63rd minute with his third chance from distance. The Brazilian kept his chance low and drove it through traffic, beating Ter Stegen to give Chelsea a deserved 1-0 lead.
Chelsea had a stranglehold on the result, but all it took was one result to undo it. Andreas Christensen's poor pass in his own third resulted in a turnover, with Andres Iniesta pouncing before setting up Messi just inside the box for a ruthless finish. It was his first against Chelsea in his career, and the away goal tilted the balance in Barcelona's favor in the 75th minute.
The goal was Messi's first in 730 minutes of play against Chelsea in his career, and it's a huge one, with the series heading back to Camp Nou for the second leg.
Here were the lineups for both teams:
The second leg is slated for March 14 in Barcelona.
