Messie scores hat-trick as Barcelona put seven past Celtic

Lionel Messi scored his sixth Champions League hat-trick as rampant Barcelona inflicted on Celtic their heaviest ever European defeat.

Messie scores hat-trick as Barcelona put seven past Celtic

The Argentine forward cracked in an early first goal in the Group C match.

Celtic’s Moussa Dembele had a penalty saved before Messi poked in his second.

In the second half, Neymar’s free-kick sailed into the net, Andres Iniesta volleyed a fourth, Messi slid home the fifth and Suarez scored with a volley and then a side-footed finish.

In their two full seasons together at the Nou Camp, Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have scored a combined 253 goals and have assisted 120 more.

Those numbers are rising quickly in the early weeks of this season – 266 goals and 128 assists – and in this latest masterclass, Messi got a hat-trick of goals and Neymar a goal and four assists.

They are – more often than not – unplayable. All of the weaknesses in Celtic’s make-up – and there were so many – were ruthlessly exposed.

Messi scored after just three minutes when Neymar slid the ball through a spooked defence.

Celtic won a penalty against the run of play when Dembele was brought down by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but the striker then had his effort saved by the Barcelona goalkeeper.

After that, the floodgates opened. BBC Sport

Andres IniestaBarcelonaBarcelona vs CelticCelticLionel Messi
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