Barcelona vs Celtic match report: Lionel Messi hits hat-trick in seven-goal demolition of Brendan Rodgers' side
Barcelona 7 Celtic 0: Neymar and Luis Suarez, Rodgers' former player at Liverpool, were also on the scoresheet on a humbling night for the Scottish champions
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Your support makes all the difference.Brendan Rodgers probably guessed his fate on Saturday when Barcelona rested Leo Messi and lost. Neither of those two things tend to happen two games running.
Back in the starting line-up at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night Messi scored twice in a sublime first half and added a second-half third for this sixth Champions League hat-trick – a competition record.
But this wasn't just a defeat. It was a seven goal drubbing to match that suffered by Gary Neville in the Spanish Cup here last season.
Andres Iniesta came on to volley in his first goal in the Champions Leauge for four years – his last was against Celtic too – and Neymar and Luis Suarez, twice, also joined the fun. And it was fun, for everyone except Celtic.
Just three minutes had passed when Messi opened the scoring. Neymar played him through the inside left channel and raced clear with Celtic defenders already fearing how the move might end. Kolo Toure edged towards Messi but was also aware that Gerard Pique, who had stayed up after a corner, was well positioned to receive the pass. But Messi only had eyes for Dorus de Vries’s top left-hand corner and that is where he dispatched the ball emphatically for the 1-0.
On 23 minutes Celtic had the chance to level. Scott Sinclair burst into space and released Moussa Dembele who went down over Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s dive. The goalkeeper was booked and Dembele had the chance to add to get the visitors back in the game. Rodgers watched arms folded as his centre-forward stepped up. The arms stayed folded as Ter Stegen got down to his right and saved the spot-kick.
From so nearly 1-1 it was soon 2-0 with a blond on blond moment from Neymar and Messi . The peroxide twins played two wall passes through the heart of the Celtic defence. Neymar’s final pass to Messi looked like being one elaboration too many but the back-pedaling defenders just kept going backwards and soon two of them were in the back of the net with the ball as Messi readjusted and scored his second goal with this third shot of the game.
Barcelona went three goals clear on 50 minutes and it was Messi who won the free-kick that Neymar scored from. De Vries seemed to see it late as it culredt under his bar from the edge of the area.
Frustration grew for Celtic and Scott Brown was booked for pushing Neymar over off the ball. Brown felt hard done. Neymar had exaggerated the dive and Brown himself had been the victim of far worse challenge in the first half from Rakitic for which the Croatian was also booked.
Two quick goals in two minutes gave the scoreline a more embarrassing look for Celtic.
Neymar crossed from the left and Andre Iniesta, who had come on at half time, put his foot through it was a perfectly executed unstoppable volley.
With Barça’s next attack it was five. Iniesta passed to Messi who released Suarez down the right. The Uruguayan crossed to the edge of the six-yard box and with Neymar poised to apply the finishing touch, Messi slid in to complete his hat-trick. It was his 40th career hat-trick and his sixth in the Champions League taking him one treble past Cristiano Ronaldo.
Celtic were now in mode ‘off’ and a switched-on Suarez made it six. Neymar floated the ball forward and he took it down on his chest swiveling and thundering a shot into the roof of the net. It was Bhoys against men and Suarez grabbed his second from Messi's cross.
“If you can get it to 1-1 then you can make the crowd nervy after the weekend loss,’ said Rodgers lamenting the missed penalty.
“Then we knew the first goal of the second half would be important and they score so soon. And it the end they are so strong. The pitch is great, the ball runs as quick as it does on an ice rink and the players move that fast too. They beat you up with their football. This is going to be a learning season for us in the Champions League.”
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