MILAN TOPS UP EURO BID
Barcelona’s Argentine ace is refusing to bow to pressure to take a rest ahead of the World Cup after helping the Catalans win the La Liga title with four games to spare.
The reason behind Messi’s reluctance is that he is worried Salah can still beat him in the race to become European football’s top league goalscorer.
Messi’s hat-trick in last week’s 4-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna clinched the Spanish title – and took his La Liga tally for the season to 32.
That’s one more than Salah – who has two games to overtake Messi when Liverpool face Chelsea today and then Brighton next weekend.
Messi is set to face Barca’s bitter rivals Real Madrid in
AC Milan 4 Hellas Verona 1
AC MILAN moved back into Serie A’s top six with a 4-1 win at San Siro that relegated Hellas Verona.
The Rossoneri, aiming to leapfrog Atalanta and get back among the Europa League places, took the lead in the 11th minute when Hakan Calhanoglu converted a cutback from Suso (right).
Milan doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Patrick Cutrone latched on to a pass from Giacomo Bonaventura and drilled the ball into the bottom corner.
It was 3-0 early in the second half when, in the 48th minute, Ignazio Abate stabbed home from 10 yards out after a break down the right from Suso.
In the 85th minute, Lee Seung-woo scored a late consolation for Verona but Milan restored their three-goal advantage when Fabio Borini steered home an angled drive. Meanwhile in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes hailed his players’ mental strength after they bounced back from their Champions League disappointment with a 3-1 win at relegated Cologne. The German champions missed out on a place in the Champions League final after drawing 2-2 with Real Madrid in midweek and looked jaded when Niklas Sule put through his own net after 36 minutes.
However, the visitors fought back with two goals in as many minutes.
Thomas Muller assisted both strikes, teeing up James Rodriguez after 59 minutes and then squaring for Robert Lewandowski in the 61st minute, with Corentin Tolisso adding a late third.