By Can Erozden
ANKARA (AA) - Spanish football giants Barcelona toppled English opponents Liverpool 3-0 late Wednesday in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals, seizing a big advantage going into next week’s second leg.
Barcelona clinched the home victory as the team’s superstars Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored at the Nou Camp stadium.
Finding Liverpool’s net twice, Messi scored his 600th goal for Barcelona.
The veteran forward is on fire in the Champions League, scoring 12 goals this season.
The second leg will be held in Liverpool's Anfield Stadium on May 7.
The victorious side of this pairing will face Dutch club Ajax or England's Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 final to be held at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 1.
On Tuesday, Ajax beat Tottenham 1-0 in London as the first leg of the Champions League semifinals got underway.