Messi's hat-trick inspires Barca to 4-0 rout of Man City in CL

Barcelona [Spain], Oct.20 (ANI): Star striker Lionel Messi marked his return to Barcelona with a hat-trick as the Spanish giants clinched a 4-0 win over Manchester City in their Champions League Group C clash here at Camp Nou on Thursday. The Argentine, who came off the bench after a groin injury, netted a 17th-minute opener for Barcelona before scoring twice in the 61st and 69th minute to pile further misery on Pep Guardiola's side, goal.com reported. Although Neymar's late penalty was saved by City's Willy Caballero, the Brazilian international soon made amends by scoring a goal just a minute before the final whistle to complete a comprehensive win for the La Liga side. The match also saw the Etihad Stadium side reduce to 10 men after goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was sent off for handling outside the box. Meanwhile, Barcelona were also reduced to 10 men in the last 15 minutes when substitute Jeremy Mathieu was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Raheem Sterling. In another group clash, Bayern Munich trounced PSV Eindhoven 4-1 at Allianz Arena while Paris Saint Germain (PSG) sealed a 3-0 victory over FC Basel in Paris. Barcelona are currently leading the group with nine points from three games, maintaining a five-point lead over second-placed City. Barcelona will once again lock horns with City on November 2. (ANI)