The question now is what that clause says: does it set a specific date? In a pathetic, cringing imitation of Barcelona teams past, the midfield trio of Busquets, Rakitic and Vidal allowed Liverpool to control the game from the off, giving them the one thing they needed: momentum. Photo by Christopher Johnson (Wikimedia). But it can never be the same again. Print × Expand. Afraid of being exposed by Messi, the board rushed to respond. 2019 will be the first time in five years without a Spanish Champions League winner, and only the fourth time in the last ten years that no Spanish team will feature in the final. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy, Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead, People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad, An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel, Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai, People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California, Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu, A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Barcelona: Residents urged to stay home after spike in virus cases ‘We recommend that people don’t move around if it’s not absolutely necessary’, Catalan health chief says And said they wanted him to continue. The Strange Death of Barça. Yes, Roma played well, with last minute heroics from Kostas “The Greek God in Rome” Manolas taking it through. The Roma loss defined this campaign for Barça; Messi’s inadvisable comment at the start of the season that he desired the Champions League above all else proving as much. While it looks like a new home of European footballing hegemony is appearing, only time will tell whether this is a blip or a real changing of the guard.