Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barcelona defeated PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in their Champions League opener.
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Mark van Bommel stuck with the same eleven that hammered ADO Den Haag 7-0 at the weekend and PSV did well in the early stages. Both Gaston Pereiro and Steven Bergwijn fired just wide, while at the other end, Barcelona dominated possession but were restricted to only a few chances.
However, just after the half-hour mark, PSV took too many players forward and Nick Viergever was forced to concede a foul just outside the box. Lionel Messi stepped up and put the free-kick perfectly into the top corner to give Barcelona the lead.
Luuk de Jong fired wide just before the break and in the second-half, PSV had some dangerous moments through Angelino and Hirving Lozano.
Barcelona maintained a level of control, though, and after Luis Suarez hit the bar, Ousmane Dembele made it 2-0 with a lovely run and fine finish into the bottom corner. Moments later, Messi added a third after a fine ball by Ivan Rakitic.
With ten minutes left, Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Lozano. However, despite having a man less, Messi completed his hat-trick before the end after a clever run.
A difficult defeat for PSV but they must pick themselves up for the home clash with Inter Milan on the 3rd of October. In the group’s other game, Inter came fromin behind to defeat Tottenham 2-1
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