Steven Gerrard heaped praise on the Brazilian superstar Neymar after Barcelona’s epic comeback victory over PSG on Wednesday.
Barcelona have changed the dynamics of the sport by achieving the most remarkable Champions League comeback victory in the history of the competition
And now Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard stated that fans have witnessed one of the finest individual performances of all time on Wednesday.
The Greatest Comeback Ever!
None but the Barcelona fans had a faint glimmer of hope as the La Liga defending champions locked horns with PSG in the last-16 second-leg clash in the Champions League on Wednesday.
After suffering a 4-0 defeat in the first-leg clash, it looked impossible for Barcelona to produce a comeback and turn the tables round.
But now the Catalan side have changed the dynamics of the sport by achieving the most remarkable Champions League comeback in the history of the competition as they hammered PSG 6-1 in the second leg clash on Wednesday to seal a place in the last-eight.
It all started with the opener from Luis Suarez, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and a Lionel Messi penalty that guided Barcelona just one goal away from matching PSG’s 4 goals from the first-leg clash.
Sergi Roberto clinched the stoppage time winner but it was Neymar’s incredible individual performance that caught the eye of the Liverpool legend.
“World class players have big moments at important times,” Gerrard told fellow BT Sport pundits Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen after the epic clash.
“(Luis) Suarez and (Lionel) Messi were almost quiet tonight. Neymar put in probably one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.”
Edinson Cavani proved his class again by scoring a crucial away goal for PSG on Wednesday and it appeared that Barcelona were on the brink of losing a hard fought battle, as they needed three goals in the final minutes of the game.
What followed next was nothing short of a miracle.
Barcelona made a dream comeback as Neymar netted two quick goals – one from an incredible curled effort from a free-kick and the next from the spot before providing a sensational assist for Roberto’s winner.
Fans prayed, some cried, and few were on the verge of a collapse – but they had that one last hope.
Neymar whipped in a dipping cross in the box to pick Sergi Roberto, who threw himself in the air, full stretch, to tap the ball home with the tip of his boot and clinched the last-minute winner.
Ferdinand heaped praise on the Brazilian and said: “He was the best player on the pitch. He’s the heir to the throne of (Cristiano) Ronaldo and Messi. “
“Neymar took responsibility and took hold of this game with eight minutes to go and said: “Listen, I’m going to do something special each time I get it to drag us back into this.”
Former Real Madrid striker Owen agreed that the 25-year-old forward had been crucial in dragging his side to the quarter-finals.
Former Man Utd and Real Madrid striker Owen accentuated that Neymar played a pivotal role in guiding Barcelona to the quarter-finals.
“At around 75 minutes it felt flat,’ he said reflecting on the tie and Edinson Cavani’s 62nd minute goal.”
“They looked like they’d given up. Everybody felt like that, the players and the fans. That Neymar free-kick, that spark of life, and it went again.”
