Lionel Messi scored a hat trick and Neymar excelled as a playmaker to lead Barcelona to a record-setting 7-0 win over Celtic in their Champions League Group C opener on Tuesday.
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Messi, fouled on the edge of the area, passed up his first chance for a hat-trick by allowing Neymar to take the free-kick, and the Brazil worldwide picked out the top-left corner for his fourth goal in two home games against the Scottish champions.
Between May and September, Neymar spent three and a half months away from Cataluña, busy on holidays and commitments with the Brazil national team.
The three South Americans lined up together against Celtic for the first time since last season’s King’s Cup final.
The French forward is eager to move on following his penalty miss midway through the first-half: “When I went to kick the football, I tried to put it inside the netting but, today, the keeper saved it and, in football, sometimes you score and sometimes you miss”, he said.
A Hat-trick from Messi, two from Suarez and one each from Neymar and Iniesta showed Celtic what playing in Europe is all about.
“I think in the first half we had a critical moment in the game”. Barca captain Andres Iniesta, who lashed home Barca’s fourth on the volley following another precise cross from Neymar, also paid tribute to Barca’s deadly trident.
Messi is best player in world in any position, says Luis Enrique was posted in Sports of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 14, 2016 and was last updated on September 14, 2016. “There is only one Leo, he is unique”.
“They’re always going to score goals and always going to create chances, but we need to play better than that if we are to have any hope of getting through this group”. We didn’t do well enough on the ball. “Professionally it is never nice when it happens”.
“The ball moves like it’s on an ice rink, it’s a fantastic pitch”. It’s hard to take, but they are a great team.
Celtic had travelled to Barcelona on the back of a 5-1 win at home to bitter rivals, Glasgow Rangers, but the gulf in class between Spanish and Scottish football was being made clear, although it wasn’t until the 50th minute when Neymar scored a spectacular free kick.
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And he lauded the impact made by Rodgers in his short time in charge at Celtic in leading the Scottish champions back into the Champions League for the first time in three years.
