|
|
Played
November 1, 2011 7:45 PM GMT
Synot Tip Aréna — Praha
Referee: R. Schörgenhofer
Attendance: 20145
November 1, 2011 7:45 PM GMT
Synot Tip Aréna — Praha
Referee: R. Schörgenhofer
Attendance: 20145
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| FC Viktoria Plzeň | 25.00 | 0.00 | 19.50 | 81.00 | 23.00 | 20.00 | 50.00 | 26.00 | 20.00 |
| Draw | 9.00 | 0.00 | 8.50 | 81.00 | 8.50 | 7.75 | 30.00 | 9.80 | 7.50 |
| Barcelona | 1.12 | 0.00 | 1.11 | 1.00 | 1.13 | 1.12 | 1.01 | 1.12 | 1.12 |
Top of the Match
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
Barcelona
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
Barcelona
Flop of the Match
Marián Čišovský
FC Viktoria Plzeň
FC Viktoria Plzeň
Marián Čišovský
FC Viktoria Plzeň
FC Viktoria Plzeň
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Viktoria Plzen 0-4 Barcelona: Lionel Messi breaks 200-goal barrier with hat-trick as European champions ease into the knockout stages
The Catalan giants were rarely pushed to their limits in this Group H tie, running out comfortable winners courtesy of a treble from the Argentine and a Cesc Fabregas header
By Charlie Scott
Getty
Pep Guardiola's 200th match in charge of Barcelona was celebrated in emphatic style with a 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in Prague on Tuesday evening as the European champions qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Two first half goals from Lionel Messi gave the Catalan giants a comfortable lead with the dismissal of Plzen's Marian Cisovsky aiding their cause.
Once Plzen went down to 10 men it became less a case of whether Barca would win, but more a case of how many they would win by and eventually Messi completed his hat-trick, with Cesc Fabregas added a fourth.
The hosts started the game full of running and tried to take the game to their illustrious opposition with Barcelona seeming content to let the home side dictate the tempo in the opening exchanges, only really starting to move the ball well after 10 minutes of play.
Petrzela burst through a static Barca backline only to be thwarted by Victor Valdes, who produced a strong left-handed save to stop the Czechs from taking a surprise lead.
Daniel Kolar then wasted another chance, blazing a half-volley high and wide after being found in space inside Valdes' area.
However 10 minutes later, Barca were awarded a spot-kick after Messi's legs were swept from beneath him by Marian Cisovsky after the Argentine had jinked his way into the area.
Cisovsky saw red for the foul, before Messi confidently dispatched the penalty low to Roman Pavlik's right.
That goal was the Argentine's 200th for the club following his sensational exploits in the past few seasons, and he was far from finished.
Following the sending off the atmosphere in the Synot Tip Arena quickly grew hostile, with every Barcelona touch being greeted with jeers from the home fans.
The away side began to toy with their opponents, exploiting the gaps created by Cisovsky's dismissal and after threatening to score a second, Messi then played a delightful one-two with Adriano, before sliding his finish past a despairing Pavlik in the Plzen goal.
The second half was exhibition-like at times, with Barca afforded so much space and Fabregas nearly added a third with a delicate chip, but the audacious effort drifted just wide before Messi forced a fantastic save from Pavlik from a free-kick.
However, Fabregas soon got his goal as he made it 3-0 on 71 minutes with a rare headed goal, nodding in Isaac Cuenca's inch-perfect cross from the right.
Messi then completed his hat-trick, adding gloss to the scoreline, with a well-taken finish after rounding Pavlik.
Barcelona advance to the knockout stages despite having two group games left to play, thus allowing Guardiola the opportunity to rest players and focus on defending their La Liga crown.
Plzen, meanwhile, now lie rock bottom of the group with just one point, making it impossible for the Czech team to advance to the next stage.
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
Two first half goals from Lionel Messi gave the Catalan giants a comfortable lead with the dismissal of Plzen's Marian Cisovsky aiding their cause.
Once Plzen went down to 10 men it became less a case of whether Barca would win, but more a case of how many they would win by and eventually Messi completed his hat-trick, with Cesc Fabregas added a fourth.
The hosts started the game full of running and tried to take the game to their illustrious opposition with Barcelona seeming content to let the home side dictate the tempo in the opening exchanges, only really starting to move the ball well after 10 minutes of play.
Petrzela burst through a static Barca backline only to be thwarted by Victor Valdes, who produced a strong left-handed save to stop the Czechs from taking a surprise lead.
Daniel Kolar then wasted another chance, blazing a half-volley high and wide after being found in space inside Valdes' area.
However 10 minutes later, Barca were awarded a spot-kick after Messi's legs were swept from beneath him by Marian Cisovsky after the Argentine had jinked his way into the area.
Cisovsky saw red for the foul, before Messi confidently dispatched the penalty low to Roman Pavlik's right.
That goal was the Argentine's 200th for the club following his sensational exploits in the past few seasons, and he was far from finished.
Following the sending off the atmosphere in the Synot Tip Arena quickly grew hostile, with every Barcelona touch being greeted with jeers from the home fans.
The away side began to toy with their opponents, exploiting the gaps created by Cisovsky's dismissal and after threatening to score a second, Messi then played a delightful one-two with Adriano, before sliding his finish past a despairing Pavlik in the Plzen goal.
The second half was exhibition-like at times, with Barca afforded so much space and Fabregas nearly added a third with a delicate chip, but the audacious effort drifted just wide before Messi forced a fantastic save from Pavlik from a free-kick.
However, Fabregas soon got his goal as he made it 3-0 on 71 minutes with a rare headed goal, nodding in Isaac Cuenca's inch-perfect cross from the right.
Messi then completed his hat-trick, adding gloss to the scoreline, with a well-taken finish after rounding Pavlik.
Barcelona advance to the knockout stages despite having two group games left to play, thus allowing Guardiola the opportunity to rest players and focus on defending their La Liga crown.
Plzen, meanwhile, now lie rock bottom of the group with just one point, making it impossible for the Czech team to advance to the next stage.
Follow the Champions League LIVE on Goal.com:
Commentaries, Stats, Player Ratings and much more,
Visit Goal.com Live Scores!
Commentaries, Stats, Player Ratings and much more,
Visit Goal.com Live Scores!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking- Fans' Man of the Match
- Fans' Flop of the Match
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lionel Messi
Striker Barcelona |
14 | 4 |
|
Mario Gomez
Striker Bayern Munich |
13 | 0 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
10 | 2 |
|
Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
7 | 0 |
|
Didier Drogba
Striker Chelsea |
6 | 0 |
