Lionel Messi’s Hat-Trick Leads Barcelona To 4-0 Win Over Manchester City

Lionel Messi scored three goals to lead Barcelona to a 4-0 home thrashing of Manchester City in Wednesday’s Champions League match.

Lionel Messi’s Hat-Trick Leads Barcelona To 4-0 Win Over Manchester City

The hat trick was the 37th of the Argentine star forward’s career, and he now has six goals in two Champions League games this season, as well as 16 goals in 15 games against English clubs.

Neymar Jr also scored for Barcelona. Wednesday marked the second time Man City manager Pep Guardiola has returned to Catalonia since leaving in 2012, and it was the second time he was humbled by his former pupil, Messi.

When asked Tuesday how his team would stop Messi, Guardiola simply laughed, knowing well from his four years as Barcelona boss how fantastic a player the 29-year-old is.

Guardiola made a surprising move by omitting forward Sergio Aguero from his starting lineup, explaining that he benched the Argentine in order to get extra bodies in midfield.

Messi opened scoring in the 17th minute. Fernandinho slipped in, kicking off a Barcelona move that seemed to have stalled, and Messi nipped in, rounding his former teammate, goalie Claudio Bravo, and firing the ball into the empty net.

Despite that early lead, the night seemed to begin looking like a challenge for the hosts. Right-back Sergi Roberto was deemed unfit to make the team and left-back Jordi Alba, who was also nursing an injury before the game, was removed after less than 10 minutes. Then, Gerard Pique picked up an injury later in the first half following a late challenge from his Spain teammate, David Silva. 

Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones both had several scoring opportunities in the first half. In first-half stoppage time, Stones shot wide after finding himself unmarked.

City began the second half strong as well. However, Bravo made a very costly mistake in the 52nd minute. The goalkeeper accidentally gave the ball away to Luis Suarez, and Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward looped the ball over his former teammate, who batted the goal-bound shot with his hands–outside the area. Thus, Suarez was sent off with a red card, as the crowd at Camp Nou chanted his name.

Messi soon added his second goal of the game in the 61st minute, firing past substitute goalkeeper Willy Caballero from the edge of the area. He completed his hat-trick eight minutes later, when Suarez fed him from close range.

Neymar then netted the final goal in the 89th minute after missing from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded after Aleksandar Kolarov took down Messi in the box after Suarez teed up the Argentine to score.

Bravo took the blame for the loss, but Guardiola refused to let his goalie do that.

“I’m sorry but until the last day of my career as a coach I will try to play from our goalkeeper,” Guardiola said. “There are moments you have to kick the ball out and against Everton on Saturday we played four or five times the long ball. But he tried to play it and sometimes this happens.

He continued: “There will be no change [of goalkeeper]. It stays the same. Football is a game of mistakes. He knows what he did. He has a lot of experience and he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the last 10 years. I don’t have doubts about him. He’s disappointed but he will learn from that.”

Guardiola and his Barcelona counterpart, Luis Enrique, felt that the sending-off was the turning point. City were in the game at 1-0 at that stage but, with 10 men, they were overrun.

Barcelona lead the Champions League table with 9 points, while City is in second with 4. Monchengladbach (3 points) and Celtic (1 point) follow in third and fourth, respectively.

Barcelona will next visit Valencia on Saturday in a La Liga matchup, while City will host Southampton in Sunday’s Premier League match.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – OCTOBER 19: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates after scoring his third and his team’s third goal of the game during the UEFA Champions League group C match between FC Barcelona and Manchester City FC at Camp Nou on October 19, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)