Lionel Messi scored a record-setting hat trick as Barcelona opened their Champions League campaign in Group B with an impressive 4-0 win against PSV Eindhoven at the Camp Nou.
Ernesto Valverde’s team predictably dominated the opening 30 minutes, but PSV looked dangerous on the counter-attack with Steven Bergwijn curling a shot just wide of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s goal and Hirving Lozano missing one from distance after a speedy run down the right flank.
However, the hosts would open the scoring just past the half-hour mark when Messi curled in an unstoppable free kick from just outside the penalty area after Ousmane Dembele was fouled following a hard-charging run from midfield.
Philippe Coutinho had two chances to double Barca’s lead after the hour mark, but he fired a laid-off Luis Suarez pass well over the goal before forcing a fine save from PSV’s Jeroen Zoet on a curling shot from outside the area.
Dembele, who had been rampant throughout, scored Barcelona’s second…
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