Messi does the trick again as Barca put PSV to the sword

Lionel Messi scored the eighth Champions League hat-trick of his career as ten-man Barcelona eased to an emphatic 4-0 victory over PSV in Group B.

The Argentinian was once again in imperious form as the hosts overcame a low-key start to cruise past their Dutch opponents, with Ousmane Dembele also getting on the scoresheet.

The only blot on another great Nou Camp night was Samuel Umtiti’s 78thminute sending-off for a second bookable offence after a foul on PSV winger Hirving Lozano.

By that point Messi’s magic had long put the game to bed, but PSV will be left to rue the fact that had they made more of their bright start they could have still been pushing for a point.

When Messi opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, curling a delicious freekick into the top corner after Dembele had been pulled down, it was Barca’s first shot on target.

Dembele finally doubled their lead in stunning fashion in the 74th minute when he burst on to the end of a Philippe Coutinho pass, danced past defender Daniel Schwab and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Three minutes later Messi added his second, finishing off after being put in by a clever lob from Ivan Rakitic, before he sealed his hat-trick two minutes from time after a clever back-heel by Luis Suarez.