Barcelona's largest UCL win: Leo Messi's treble crushes Celtic 7-0

FC Barcelona registered their largest UEFA Champions League win when they crushed Celtic 7-0 at Camp Nou on Tuesday.

 

Barca's best man, Lionel Messi, netted a treble, his sixth in the Champions League, thereby handed Celtic their heaviest-ever defeat in Europe.

 

The Group C match of Champions League against Celtic was the first instance this season when the three were in the starting line-up.

 

While Messi was merciless with three goals, Neymar's free kick flew into the net, and the final two goals of the match belonged to Suarez - all three returned from their respective international duties.

 

 

In full two seasons, the trio of - Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez - have scored a combined 253 goals and have assisted 120 more. With the early weeks of this season gone, the trio now has 266 goals and 128 assists.

 

The Argentine forward converted his first touch into an early goal with just three minutes after the whistle.

 

The Barca goalkeeper,  Ter Stegen was booked, and Celtic received a penalty.  Celtic had a superb chance to equalise the score-line. However, to their great disappointment, forward Moussa Dembele failed to score.

 

A few minutes later, Neymar and Messi stormed inside the Celtic line. There were six Celtic defenders; Neymar covered the goalkeeper and Messi struck from about five yards. The Celtic faces looked clueless here!

 

The half-time whistle gave the visitors some time to recover from the Messi ambush. Little did they know, Neymar was next in line.

 

The Brazilian's free-kick in the 50th minute, following a foul on Messi from the opponents, 20 metres away landed into the upper left corner of the net.

 

Nine minutes later, Celtic was beaten once again, Andres Iniesta with a gem volley to put Barca 4-0 up. After receiving a cross from Neymar from left wing, the Spanish great executed a classy volley and the Celtic goalie de Vries could do little even to see it.

 

After Suarez had assisted Messi's hat-trick goal of the evening, it was his time for his action. His first goal came in style; he collected Neymar's pass on the chest before netting it, giving Barca a terrific 6-0 lead.

 

The 'Celtic catastrophe' ended with Suarez's second goal, Messi-assisted, two minutes before the final whistle. It was not the first time when the Catalans gave an opponent a cruel treatment.

 

Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers after the humiliating loss told BBC, " They are great players. They always find space no matter what their opponents try to do to stop them."