Messi’s treble seals it for Barca
THE REDS: FIRMINO SCORES STOPPAGE TIME WINNER
Barcelona
Lionel Messi scored a record eighth Champions League hat-trick as Barcelona kick-started their campaign with a 4-0 home win over PSV Eindhoven, although they had defender Samuel Umtiti sent off late in the second half last night.
Messi broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute with an immaculate free kick which he curled over the wall into the top corner.
Barca demonstrated the gulf in class as the second half progressed and doubled their lead in the 75th with a curling strike from Ousmane Dembele, who scored his fifth goal in six games in all competitions this season.
Messi got his second two minutes later when he turned Ivan Rakitic’s dinked pass into the net with a flick of his boot.
The mood was briefly dampened when Barca’s France defender Umtiti was dismissed in the 79th for a second yellow card before Messi completed his treble three minutes from time.
The Argentine received another chipped pass, this time from Luis Suarez, and ruthlessly smashed the ball home.
The strike completed eight trebles in Europe’s top competition for Messi, one more than rival Cristiano Ronaldo who will make his Juventus Champions League debut today.
“Messi does extraordinary things and makes them look routine,” Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said. “We have to pinch ourselves to remind us that we are living through a unique era. When he stops playing it’ll be difficult to find someone like him.”
PSV had produced an admirable performance on their first visit to the Nou Camp in 21 years until they tired late on.
Coach Mark van Bommel thought his side were hard done by in conceding the free kick from which Messi opened the scoring. “I don’t think it was a foul but Messi put it in the net. For me he’s the best player in the world and it’s strange to me he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or every single year.”
Barca lead Group B on goal difference after Inter Milan beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1.
Roberto Firmino struck a stoppage-time winner as Liverpool beat Paris St Germain 3-2 at Anfield after Kylian Mbappe looked to have secured a point for the French side in a compelling Champions League Group C clash.
PSG had come back from two goals down with Mbappe equalising in the 83rd minute, but then Firmino, who started on the bench, scored in the final seconds.
In other games last night, Club Brugge lost 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund; Monaco lost 1-2 to Atlético Madrid; Red Star Belgrade and Napoli played to a goalless draw; Galatasaray beat Lokomotiv Moskva 3-0; and Schalke and Porto drew 1-all. – Reuters