2 years on from Roma defeat, from Messi's debt, and from Iniesta's crying

Every big club has some far-fetched accident on their sports curriculum. Barca's one in Rome, two years ago now, could be one more. But the shockwave of that, which is noticeable today, leaves the wound still open. 

Because the 3-0 win for Roma, who turned the 4-1 first leg around, had the same answer last year, with an even bigger bang at Anfield, where a 4-0 win for a Liverpool side without Salah and Firmino turned the 3-0 match at the Camp Nou match around against all odds.

A ghost was born in Rome that still flies over Barca. That night Messi suffered some pain that he hadn't experienced since the 2012 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in which he missed a penalty. And this face was repeated in Liverpool and has left him with an outstanding debt with the best continental competition. 

The Champions League, the one which he promised they would try and win when he pulled on the captain's armband for the first time, remains outstanding. This year the pandemic stopped the path, that for now was tied after the 1-1 first-leg draw against Napoli in the last 16.

When football resumes, Barcelona, if they make the quarters, must measure their moral strength against the next opponent. These recent stories mean that no score in the first match is seen as definitive. 

Roma also left another goodbye, Andrés Iniesta's. At the Stadio Olimpico he played his last European match as a Barca player. And he was convinced, among tears, of the end of his spell at the Camp Nou.

It was also for Ernesto Valverde, as winning the league and cup double that same year wasn't enough for his season to be deemed a success. Moreover, even though he was sacked a few months ago, the Roma defeat always flew over him when a bad run of form came.