Lionel Messi was reportedly inconsolable and in tears after Barcelona’s 4-0 loss to Liverpool on Tuesday in the Champions League semi-final. The loss of course was by just enough to avoid going into extra-time and allowed Liverpool to advance to the Champions League final in Madrid. The heartbreaking defeat was the second year in a row that Barcelona had a three-goal lead in the Champions League and threw it in the away leg. Its put a placeholder in Messi’s four Champions League titles as he makes his way to five. The road was perfectly paved for Barcelona to be sitting pretty in Liverpool, and they just couldn’t seem to ever get a solid foothold in a chaotic match. The heartbreaking loss is another step in Messi’s career path, but the Argentine is used to setbacks in his career. Success is often paired with heartbreak, it makes players like Messi better.<doc-sep>LIONEL MESSI was in tears as Barcelona stars returned to the dressing room shell-shocked after Liverpool's momentous comeback to reach the Champions League final. And the Argentina legend even missed the team bus back to the airport as he was selected for drug-testing following Barca's 4-0 defeat at Anfield. 1 Lionel Messi was dumbfounded after Barcelona lost 4-0 to go out 4-3 on aggregate Credit: EPA Messi, who has hit 600 goals in 683 games for Barca, was reportedly the player worst affected by the 4-3 aggregate loss. The Guardian say the 31-year-old was inconsolable, while Spanish media claim he was caught up in a heated confrontation with Barcelona fans when he finally arrived at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport. But former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez insists the La Liga champions deserve much of the criticism they will face and can stand up to it. The Uruguay ace, 32, said: “We are very sad, hurt. We are human beings, we feel the pain, the frustration. "We have to put our chest out for the bullets that will come now. “It cannot be that in a minute we concede two goals [to Liverpool sub Georginio Wijnaldum].. [For] the fourth goal we looked like youngsters. "We have to understand all the criticism that is going to rain on us.” Nou Camp boss Ernesto Valverde admitted he expects his position to be in question following one of the most shocking exits in Barcelona's history. And Barca supporters got #ValverdeOut trending on Twitter as they vented their rage. Raging Barcelona fans shout at Messi during Liverpool airport confrontation Even club president Josep Bartomeu called it a "disastrous night" as Barcelona found Liverpool's pace, pressing and energy too hot to handle. It was particularly sore for Barca after a similar collapse in the Champions League last season, albeit at one stage earlier, the quarter-finals. Roma lost 4-1 in Spain but triumphed on away goals after a 3-0 win in the return leg.<doc-sep>Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Lionel Messi reportedly "broke down in tears" in the Barcelona dressing room after their 4-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday and was subsequently confronted by his own fans at the airport. According to the Guardian's Andy Hunter, the No. 10 was "inconsolable" after the Reds overturned a 3-0 defeat from the first leg of the semi-final at Anfield. The Argentinian's night got even worse as he was held back at the stadium for drug testing while his team-mates made their way to John Lennon airport on the team bus. Mundo Deportivo (h/t MailOnline's Ben Nagle) reported Messi was "involved in an ugly altercation" with a group of angry Barcelona fans who confronted him. In a video posted by Sport Witness, supporters can be seen shouting at the forward as he made his way through a security checkpoint: Messi, who was with his personal security guard and adviser Pepe Costa, had to be pulled away from the fans, while another group of supporters are said to have applauded him. Videos you might like The 31-year-old scored twice at the Camp Nou as Barca took a commanding lead in the first leg, but he endured a relatively quiet night by his own standards as Liverpool ran out 4-0 winners on Tuesday: With Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino unavailable, the Reds had to turn to others to inspire them to victory. It was Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum who did so, grabbing two goals apiece as Barcelona capitulated, with Messi struggling to influence the game as he usually does. With Ajax having knocked out three-time holders Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus, this season represented an enormous chance for Barca to win their first Champions League title since 2015. They've now exited the competition in humiliating fashion for the second year running, having thrown away a 4-1 lead at Roma in the quarter-final last season. Messi is considered by many to be the best player of all time, but for some he'll still have something to prove after Barca's latest Champions League failure.<doc-sep>
Lionel Messi broke down in tears after his dream of winning the Champions League for a fifth time with Barcelona collapsed against Liverpool. The Argentina international was inconsolable in the Barcelona dressing room following the 4-0 defeat at Anfield, where the Spanish champions were on the receiving end of an incredible comeback in Europe for the second season running, having won the first leg 3-0 at the Camp Nou. Last season in the quarter-finals Barça beat Roma 4-1 at home but collapsed in the away leg to lose 3-0 in Rome and go out on away goals. Messi was then selected for a drugs test by anti-doping officials and the team coach departed for Liverpool John Lennon Airport without him as a consequence. Reports in the Spanish media have claimed that, on his eventual arrival at the airport, Messi was involved in an angry confrontation with a group of Barcelona supporters furious at their team’s latest collapse in the Champions League. Luis Suárez apologised for the manner of Barcelona’s exit and insists the players are ready to face the criticism heading their way. “We are very sad, hurt,” he said. “We are human beings, we feel the pain, the frustration. We have to put our chest out for the bullets that will come now. “It cannot be that in a minute we concede two goals. [For] the fourth goal we looked like youngsters. We have to understand all the criticism that is going to rain on us.” The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email Barcelona’s president, Josep Bartomeu, described the defeat as a “disastrous night” for the club and the manager, Ernesto Valverde, accepted questions would be asked of his future following another European failure.