Luis Suarez has expressed his relief over opening his account for Barcelona in last night's 4-0 Champions League win away to APOEL.

The Uruguayan ended a six-game barren spell for the Catalan giants by netting his first goal since a £75m summer move from Liverpool.

"It's always important for a striker to score goals and after going a few games without scoring, I was finally able to do that," he told reporters.

"We knew that APOEL would keep it tight, that it was going to be difficult to find space, but we played a very good first half and it was vital that we opened up their defence."

Lionel Messi grabbed the majority of headlines by netting a hat-trick - his second in as many games - to break Raul's record of 71 Champions League goals, finishing the night on 74.

Luis Enrique's side remain second in Group F, one point adrift of Paris Saint-Germain, who they play in the sixth and final matchday at Camp Nou next month.