Lionel Messi emphatically broke Raul's record as Champions League top scorer by bagging a hat-trick in Barcelona's 4-0 Group F win away at APOEL this evening, while Luis Suarez also netted his first competitive goal for the Camp Nou outfit.
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The visitors were dominant from the off, with Dani Alves weaving his way into the box before pulling the ball back to Suarez in the sixth minute, but the Uruguayan's shot was blocked and turned behind.
Suarez then troubled the APOEL defence again minutes later following Messi's pass from out wide, but goalkeeper Urko Pardo thwarted the former Liverpool striker's effort.
Barca eventually broke the deadlock in the 27th minute when Suarez picked up the ball on the edge of the box before turning and rifling a drilled effort past Pardo, the 27-year-old netting his first competitive goal for the Blaugrana.
Five minutes later, Alves handled the ball, earning him a caution that means that he will be suspended for the match against Paris Saint-Germain next month.
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With seven minutes left in the first half, Messi doubled his side's lead when he seized on Rafinha's shot to deflect the ball into the opposite direction to deceive the keeper.
This was the Argentine's 72nd goal in the competition, ensuring that he is now the top scorer in Champions League history in the process.
Barca picked up from where they left off in the second half, as a run from Messi helped set up Pedro, but the winger's finish flew just wide.
The miss mattered little, because the record-breaking Argentine struck again just before the hour when he seized on Alves's pass to slot home and kill off the game.
A setback befell the visitors minutes later when Rafinha was given his marching orders following a second yellow card.
APOEL, however, also found themselves down to 10 men in the final 10 minutes when Joao Guilherme accrued two bookings to even the number of players on each side.
Messi then completed his hat-trick when Pedro pulled the ball back from out wide to leave the record-breaking striker with an easy tap-in and cap off a sensational night for him and for his club.
Giuseppe Labellarte
