Barcelona is just 90 minutes away from its first UEFA Champions League final in four years after beating plucky Liverpool 3-0 Wednesday in the opening match of its two-leg, total-goals semifinal series on two goals by Lionel Messi — including the 600th of the Argentine’s otherworldly career — and another from former Reds striker Luis Suarez.

Barca, which won the last of its five European titles in 2015, rode Suarez’s 26th minute strike, which held up as the winner. But Liverpool was the better team most of the night, out-shooting and out-possessing mighty Barca in their own stadium. They just couldn’t find the goal they needed after falling behind, however. And Messi punished them severely for it.

Suarez, who scored 69 times in 110 Premier League games for Liverpool between 2011 and 2014, put the hosts ahead after running onto a seeing-eye through-pass from Jordi Alba. A sliding Suarez, who had timed his run perfectly, needed only the slightest touch to to direct the ball past visiting keeper Alisson Becker:

Liverpool started the match well. Jurgen Klopp’s team might even have been awarded a penalty when Barca defender Gerard Pique bowled over Sadio Mane in the box following a lightning-quick counterattack, but Mane tried to sell the call and Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers was probably right to wave play on.

Barcelona soon began to settle into the match, and the hosts had a penalty shot of their own ignored shortly thereafter, when Lionel Messi flicked the ball into Joel Matip’s hand. Messi was at the center of everything, dropping deep to collect the ball and launching runs and passes forward seemingly at will.

The match was played at a frantic pace, with plenty of skill on display from both teams. With the La Liga pace-setter near its devastating best, though, their opening goal was always coming. But while the hosts were the better team in the first half, Liverpool more than held its own. They kept the ball almost as well as Barca — no easy feat at the Camp Nou — and could’ve equalized on another blistering counter by Mane, who could only send his left-footed effort over the crossbar:

Liverpool did more than just keep the pressure on when the second half began. For the first half-hour of the final period, the Reds were nothing short of dominant.

James Milner forced a diving save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen a little more than a minute after the break. Mohamed Salah then had an even better chance to pull the Reds level with a wicked shot from just outside the area. Once again, Ter Stegen was up to the challenge, diving to his right to paw the effort away:

The German keeper was also in position to stop another shot by Milner after more silky skills by Salah and a brilliant dummy run by Mane:

Try as they might, though, Klopp’s side just couldn’t find the away goal they so deserved. And Barca made Liverpool pay for it dearly when Messi — who else? — tripled the home side’s advantage within the final 15 minutes.

Messi’s second strike came completely against the run of play. Outside of a squandered opportunity by Arturo Vidal earlier in the half, Barcelona had mostly been pinned in their own end, barely able to touch the ball. Then Messi found space to run through the midfield and find Suarez, who volleyed a shot off the woodwork. The rebound fell to Messi, who walked it into an empty net:

If that strike had an element of luck to it, Messi’s second of the match didn’t. In the 82nd minute, the best player in the history of the sport hit a free kick worthy of his GOAT status:

Liverpool almost picked up a vital away goal in the closing moments, but couldn’t convert. As well as they played, they’ll be hard-pressed to overcome a 3-0 deficit when the decisive match kicks off at Anfield next week — especially Messi apparently hell-bent on winning this season’s Champions League almost by himself.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Photo of Panthers’ RB sets internet on fire

• Report: Chiefs’ Hill called 911 after fiancee passed out

• Brown: Anaheim welcomes stranger in Guerrero Jr.

• Iole: MMA is better off without Brock Lesnar