Brazilian Fabio Lima strikes twice in Dubai club's emphatic 4-0 victory at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
sports3 hours ago
Results
Group A
Arsenal 6 Ludogorets 0
PSG 3 Basel 0
Group B
Napoli 2 Besiktas 3
Dynamo Kiev 0 Benfic 2
Group C
Celtic 0 M'gladbach 2
Barcelona 4 City 0
Group D
Rostov 0 Atletico 1
Bayern 4 PSV 1
Lionel Messi scored his second hat trick in as many Champions League games to give Barcelona a 4-0 win over Manchester City as Pep Guardiola and Claudio Bravo endured harrowing returns to the Nou Camp on Wednesday.
A slip by Fernandinho allowed Messi to round former team mate Bravo and open the scoring in the 17th minute and the keeper completed a miserable night by getting sent off in the second half for handling outside the area after losing the ball. The magical Messi hammered in his second from the edge of the area after turning two City defenders and pounced on a Luis Suarez lay-off to complete his treble in the 69th minute.
Barca substitute Jeremy Mathieu was then dismissed for two bookable offences. Neymar had a late penalty saved by substitute keeper Willy Caballero but the Brazilian made amends by scoring the fourth goal in the 89th minute. "It's difficult to play with Barcelona against 11 men. With 10, it was over," said Guardiola, while adamant that he would not blame Bravo for the error which effectively ended his side's night.
"Mistakes happen. He is sad but he will learn a lot. As long as I'm a coach I'll keep playing out from the goalkeeper," the coach added.
Bravo enjoyed two almost faultless years at Barca before joining City in August, but has endured a shaky start under Guardiola's firm instructions to build City's attack from the back. "He (Bravo) has a lot of experience, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world for the last 10 years, but he will learn and is the first one in the dressing room to apologise."
Luis Enrique's team lead the group with nine points followed by Guardiola's City on four. Borussia Moenchengladbach have three points while Celtic are bottom with one. Guardiola, who surprisingly left out key marksman Sergio Aguero to accommodate more midfield strength, watched his old side pressed back in their own half for 15 minutes until Fernandinho's error and Messi's determination changed the course of events.
Messi began the move and fought to win the ball back before threading a pass to Andres Iniesta. Fernandinho tripped over just as he looked set to clear, leaving the Argentine an easy task to score. City did not wilt, Nolito and Ilkay Guendogan having shots saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while at the other end Suarez was denied by Bravo and also shot wide. The visitors collapsed after the break, though, their downfall starting when Bravo came out of his area and lost the ball to Suarez before using his hands to stop the Uruguayan's attempted chip.
Messi's second strike was reminiscent of a goal he scored against Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the 2015 semi-finals and Suarez's generosity allowed the Argentine to knock in the third with simplicity. Caballero thwarted Neymar from the spot but the Brazilian still had time for a neat fourth, heaping more pain on Barca's most decorated coach Guardiola.
Brazilian Fabio Lima strikes twice in Dubai club's emphatic 4-0 victory at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
sports3 hours ago
Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods were among the stars packing their golf bags and leaving the famed Kentucky course after a testing second round on Friday
sports3 hours ago
The breach occurred during one of the busiest travel periods for the airport in southern Germany
aviation4 hours ago
Top players can compartmentalize their lives, shut out all other outside distractions and can just focus on their game, says renowned golf coach Peter Cowen
sports4 hours ago
Here's a nudge to all the recruiters out there: Do not ghost job hunters, close the loop
jobs5 hours ago
Most residents can expect a fair to partly cloudy weather
uae6 hours ago
Called 'SafeSeat', the product will likely be launched by year-end
uae7 hours ago
In a short, heartfelt video, Dr Welch expressed his deep affection for the UAE, particularly Abu Dhabi
uae8 hours ago