Barcelona 7-0 Celtic: Second-half display was ‘unacceptable’ – Scott Brown

Messi and Neymar were reunited with Luis Suarez from the start for the first time this season and took no time in getting reacquainted as all three were on the scoresheet.

Neymar kept pouring it on, crossing for substitute Andres Iniesta to fire in a vicious volley. Football, yes, but not as anybody in Scotland knows it. “It was a great way to make our entrance to the competition (this season)”.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was disappointed with his side’s 7-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona, but believes they can learn lessons from the loss and become stronger.

Messi’s hat-trick was his 40th professional treble in club and worldwide football, while his sixth European Cup treble saw him move ahead of Real Madrid greats Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas.

“Messi’s the best in the world in every position”, Enrique said in his post-game news conference. It wouldn’t be clever to curtail that, to put limits on him. “Not just because of his numbers, but for his vision of the game”.

While Rodgers has enjoyed an encouraging start domestically, winning Manager of the Month for August in the Scottish Premiership before defeating Rangers 5-1 in the first Old Firm tussle of the season at the weekend, he has already endured some hard assignments in continental competition.

Instead, Barcelona improved on the 6-1 win over Celtic from their last meeting in 2013. “Whenever you lose as a professional with so many goals it is tough to take, but these players have been brilliant since I came to the club”. But the gulf in class between Spanish and Scottish football was being made clear, although it wasn’t until the 50th minute when Neymar scored a spectacular free kick.

“Manchester City will come at us too”.

Celtic had travelled to Barcelona on the back of a 5-1 win at home to bitter rivals, Glasgow Rangers. “They move the ball around so quickly, they are at the top of the game”. The team did a lot of good things. he continued.

Brown lamented a missed opportunity to draw level with the score at 1-0 when Moussa Dembele’s penalty was saved by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Brown said he and his team-mates had not kept the ball well enough at the Nou Camp.

Iniesta had been introduced at half-time and for all Messi’s magic, the midfield schemer struck the goal of the night with a ferocious volley from Neymar’s cross.

With that, any chance the Scots had of getting back into the game went as Messi added his second a couple of minutes later.