Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win against last season’s beaten finalists Juventus.
Barca were knocked out by Juve in the quarterfinals of last year’s competition, beaten 3-0 on aggregate after their heroic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round.
However, after drawing blanks against Juve on that occasion, Messi made sure it didn’t happen again.
Messi opened the scoring on the brink of half-time following a move which had started with Marc-Andre ter Stegen. After exchanging passes with Luis Suarez, the Argentine fired low past Gianluigi Buffon, beating him for the first time in his career.
Ivan Rakitic scored the second. The Croatian was the first to a loose ball after Messi’s cross was only half cleared.
And Messi completed the scoring with one of those goals he makes look so east. Picking up a pass from Rakitic, he drifted in past two Juve players and sent Buffon the wrong way from the edge of the box.
Before the game’s first goal, Juve had looked comfortable despite Barca’s control. Ter Stegen had made several saves, one particularly good one from a Matteo De Sciglia long-range effort.
However, Juve, missing a number of players through injury and suspension, were well beaten in the end.
Both teams will still hope to progress, mind, with the group’s other game ending in a 3-2 win for Sporting Club in Athens against Olympiacos.