2016-09-13: Barcelona 7-0 Celtic, European Cup

Trivia

• Champions League 2016-17, Match 1
• First Celtic game in the group stages of the Champs Lge for three years.
• Other game rained off till next day as mass floods & freak torrential rain in Manchester. But as the wits say, it may have rained in Manchester but the lightning struck in Barcelona.
• Celtic playing Barcelona for the umpteenth time in European football from over the past ten years. Almost as if both sides are joined at the hip.
• Griffiths out with injuries, but last Saturday’s hat-trick hero, Dembele, in his place.
• Barcelona squad cost to assemble: £340m; Celtic: £17m.
• Barcelona have had a number of 6,7 & 8 nil wins this past year, so this is not unusual for them.
• "We are not tourists, we are here to do well” – Brendan Rodgers pre-match
  
• Brendan Rodgers post-match: "These players have been brilliant. They couldn't have come to a more difficult place in world football after a highly intense game at the weekend, where they dealt with so much pressure and played so well, to have had hardly any preparation time, to come and play against the world's best at keeping the ball, it was a tough ask for them. That last 15-20 minutes probably did feel quite long."
  
• Dembele missed a penalty which would have taken it to 1-1
• Celtic’s worst European defeat. Worst ever defeat is 8-0 and it was close this time. Deportivo 8-0, Valencia 7-0, 6-0 v Getafe, Celta Vigo, Betis and Bilbao. It's not just us.
• No disgrace in many ways as Barca have probably the greatest front line ever in Suarez/Messi/Neymar (called the 'trident').
• Celtic beat TheRangers 5-1 last weekend in the first ever league meeting between the two sides. A great victory for Brendan Rodgers, and a marker for the whole season. Provides leeway and some breathing space for the European campaign.

Review

(Arsene P of KDS)

(El Salto of KDS)
Been saying to friends and family for years that a tanking like this in the CL was on the horizon at some point in the future.

Well its happened, and quite frankly I`m not convinced it wont happen again in this group.

I know it was Barcelona, I know they feck teams better than us regularly by 6 and 7, but it doesnt make it easier to take, this is a defeat thats going to take some getting over.

We didnt even put in a tackle all night, they are good enough without us standing back and admiring them, our own teams display was piss poor, and that defence just never looked like they knew what they were doing from the first whistle.

Why didnt we just play our own game, would the defeat have been any worse than it ended up ?

Celtic simply cannot defend to save ourselves in Europe.

That could have been 10 tonight, it was painful to watch.

Anyway, from the Nou Camp to the Tulloch Stadium for us, and therein lies one of the problems for Celtic.

(HenryClarson of KDS)
I'm not really interested in how much more money Barca are able to spend (or launder) on their team. The pertinent fact remains that our players are paid well enough for us to be entitled to expect them to get goalside of their runners. Bitton should not be jogging behind Messi after watching him play a give and go. Celtic's wage bill is high enough for us to expect a goalkeeper to move his feet to save a free-kick or make himself big when he's facing a one-on-one. I also expect a highly paid footballer who insists on taking the penalties to score from twelve yards.
If we do all of these fairly fundamental things and still lose by seven goals then we can hold our hands up and say, "Fair enough." We didn't and that's why we're the only Champions League opposition that Barcelona has ever beaten by seven goals.
Losing to Barca in the Nou Camp is one thing; losing by a record margin is an entirely different and entirely unacceptable thing.

Incidentally, the "greatest team in history" was knocked out of Europe last year by a team that lost the final to hyper-wealthy Real Madrid. Did either of the two Madrid sides win their opening group matches by seven goals?

Teams

Barcelona
1 ter Stegen Booked at 23mins
20Sergi
3Piqué
23Umtiti
18Alba
4Rakitic Booked at 40minsSubstituted for Iniesta at 45'minutes
5BusquetsSubstituted for Rafinha at 61'minutes
21André Gomes
10Messi
9Suárez
11Neymar

Referee:Ovidiu Hategan
Attendance:73,290

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11002455/
• Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11002862/
• Post Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11002869/

MOTM

• Voting Thread http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11002870/
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Barcelona
Celtic

Possession
Home72%
Away28%

Shots
Home15
Away3

Shots on Target
Home10
Away2

Corners
Home9
Away2

Fouls
Home8
Away3

Articles
Barcelona 7 – 0 Celtic: Record Euro defeat for Parkhead side
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/barcelona-7-0-celtic-record-euro-defeat-for-parkhead-side-1-4229570By
STEPHEN HALLIDAY

Published: 21:40 Tuesday 13 September 2016

It was widely predicted and proved simply unavoidable, but another defeat in the Nou Camp was no less painful for Celtic on their return to Champions League group stage football.

Crushed 6-1 at the same venue in their last fixture at this level three years ago, they were comprehensively outclassed again as this proved an assignment beyond even the revitalising effect Brendan Rodgers has had on the Scottish champions.

The gulf in standard between the domestic environment, where Celtic are so dominant, and Europe’s elite competition no longer needs to be underlined for anyone who has been paying attention in recent years.

But this loss, the heaviest Celtic have ever suffered in their 54-year history of European football, serves as a sobering, if unsurprising, reminder.

On a night of little consolation for Rodgers’ side, for whom even a missed penalty by Moussa Dembele when the score was still only 1-0 could scarcely be regarded as a game-changer, they can at least reflect with complete certainty that they were taken apart by one of the best teams ever to play the game.

Lionel Messi led the charge with a hat-trick, Luis Suarez grabbed a double, while Neymar and half-time substitute Andres Iniesta weighed in with one each. It was an attacking masterclass on a grand scale.

Lionel Messi celebrates. The Argentine bagged a hat-trick on the night. Picture: AP

Lionel Messi celebrates. The Argentine bagged a hat-trick on the night. Picture: AP

As is the case for any side travelling to the Nou Camp, the possession statistics which are habitually and heavily in Barcelona’s favour presented one of the biggest challenges for the visitors.

But there was another number which Celtic had to cope with on this occasion, a stifling 67 per cent humidity at the end of a day when the city had been smothered in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees.

For such a punishing shift, Rodgers opted for a five-man defence in which Cristian Gamboa was handed his debut for Celtic in the most demanding circumstances imaginable. The Costa Rican international slotted in at right-back as Mikael Lustig joined Kolo Toure and Erik Sviatchenko in a three-man central defence book-ended by left-back Kieran Tierney.

One of Gamboa’s first touches in a green and white hooped shirt was a telling one as he managed to nick the ball off the toes of Suarez in the second minute, just as the striker was about to connect with the first of many brilliantly precise passes Messi made on the night.

Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar celebrates after scoring his side's third. Picture: AFP/Getty

Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar celebrates after scoring his side's third. Picture: AFP/Getty

But Rodgers’ hopes of frustrating Barcelona for the opening half hour or so, which he had outlined on the eve of the match, lasted barely another 60 seconds as Celtic’s failure to defend the subsequent corner saw them fall behind.

The visitors were caught a little flat-footed as Neymar played it short from the left. The Brazilian worked a position on the edge of the penalty area from where his sublime reverse pass picked out Messi’s run between Gamboa and Lustig. Celtic goalkeeper Dorus de Vries had no answer to the little Argentine’s rasping left-foot shot high into the net.

It was the most ominous start possible from Celtic’s perspective. With Barcelona’s celebrated front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar all in the starting line-up for the first time this season, the Spanish champions were clearly in the mood to deliver a performance full of their trademark fluency and incision.

Messi curled a shot just wide of De Vries’ right-hand post, then Suarez narrowly failed to connect cleanly at the back post with a Messi cross from the right. Celtic were barely able to cross the halfway line until, out of the blue, they sourced a glorious opportunity to equalise in the 24th minute.

Scott Sinclair cut in from the left to embark on a terrific run through the middle which suddenly had the Barcelona defence back-pedalling uncertainly. Sinclair slipped a clever pass to Dembele who was brought down by Marc-Andre ter Stegen as he tried to round him just outside the six-yard box.

It was a clear penalty kick and yellow card for Ter Stegen, despite the vehement protests from the German keeper. But his mood was soon much brighter as he dived to his right to save a less than convincingly struck spot-kick by Dembele.

The young French striker’s failure to repeat the cool and crucial finish from 12 yards with which he had helped Celtic defeat Astana in the qualifying rounds was quickly punished by Barcelona who doubled their lead three minutes later.

It was a brilliantly crafted goal, with a couple of one-twos executed with bewildering speed and accuracy between Neymar and Messi. With the Celtic defence carved apart, Messi was left with a simple close-range tap-in.

Suddenly, Celtic were on the rack and it was something of a feat in itself that they managed to avoid sustaining any further damage on the scoreboard before half-time. Suarez saw a clever chipped effort drift narrowly wide, then midfielder Andre Gomes had a close-range shot blocked by some desperate Celtic defending.

It was relentless stuff by Barca now. Tierney did well to clear Ivan Rakitic’s effort off the line, then De Vries made a smart save to deny Neymar.

The dam burst in the second half, however, as it turned into the rout which was always on the cards. Neymar made it 3-0 with a sweetly-struck free-kick which De Vries, despite getting a hand to the ball, could not keep out.

Iniesta, whose appearance for Rakitic at the break summed up the depth of Barca’s talent, thumped home number four with a right-foot volley from Neymar’s pass, before Messi completed his hat-trick on the hour with a tap-in from a Suarez cross.

The only thing missing from an otherwise complete Barcelona display was a goal by Suarez. It duly arrived in the 75th minute when he controlled a Neymar pass on his chest before swivelling and smashing home a left-foot volley.

The agony wasn’t over yet for Celtic, Suarez helping himself to another with two minutes remaining as he converted a Messi cross from close range. The final whistle was nothing less than an act of mercy for the bemused visitors.

BBC
By Tom English
BBC Scotland at the Nou Camp
13 September 2016

Celtic had no answer to Messi's sublime skills
Lionel Messi scored his sixth Champions League hat-trick as rampant Barcelona inflicted on Celtic their heaviest ever European defeat.
The Argentina forward cracked in an early first goal in the Group C match.
Celtic's Moussa Dembele had a penalty saved before Messi poked in his second.
In the second half, Neymar's free-kick sailed into the net, Andres Iniesta volleyed a fourth, Messi slid home the fifth and Luis Suarez scored with a volley and then a side-footed finish.
266 goals & 128 assists


In their two full seasons together at the Nou Camp, Messi, Neymar and Suarez have scored a combined 253 goals and assisted 120 more.
Those numbers are rising quickly in the early weeks of this season – 266 goals and 128 assists – and in this latest masterclass, Messi got a hat-trick and Neymar a goal and four assists.
They are – more often than not – unplayable. All of the weaknesses in Celtic's make-up – and there were so many – were ruthlessly exposed.
Messi scored after just three minutes when Neymar slid the ball through a spooked defence.
Celtic won a penalty against the run of play when Dembele was brought down by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but the striker had his effort saved by the Barcelona goalkeeper.
After that, the floodgates opened.
Football as art


Messi's second came after he and Neymar combined to bamboozle the Celtic defence, Messi walking it in for number two. Barca's speed of thought and movement was delicious. Football, yes, but not as anybody in Scotland knows it.
Neymar's 50th-minute free-kick made it three, Celtic goalkeeper Dorus de Vries getting a touch but not a big enough touch. De Vries should have done better.
The torture just got worse. Iniesta came on at the break and scored the fourth, thumping Neymar's cross on the volley past De Vries.
Celtic's brains were spinning. Within 76 seconds the fifth had arrived, Suarez putting it into the box for Messi to slide in for his hat-trick goal.
Suarez added the sixth, taking down Neymar's dinked pass on his chest before turning and rifling it home.
Wrong kind of history


This was Celtic's heaviest ever defeat in Europe even before Messi assisted once again for the seventh, which Suarez. scored.
Celtic are just another in a long line of Barca victims. The Catalans have done this kind of thing to so many teams in the recent past and that is the only consolation for the visitors.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said on Monday that great players always find space no matter what their opponents try to do to stop them.
Barca had the freedom of the Nou Camp – and they revelled in it to make Celtic suffer.

Match ends, Barcelona 7, Celtic 0.
Full Time

90'+3'
Second Half ends, Barcelona 7, Celtic 0.

90'+1'
Offside, Celtic. Scott Sinclair tries a through ball, but Moussa Dembele is caught offside.
Goal!

88'
Goal! Barcelona 7, Celtic 0. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lionel Messi following a corner.

88'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Dorus de Vries.

88'
Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Luis Suárez.

83'
Offside, Barcelona. Jordi Alba tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.

80'
Foul by Rafinha (Barcelona).

80'
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution

76'
Substitution, Celtic. Callum McGregor replaces Nir Bitton.
Goal!

75'
Goal! Barcelona 6, Celtic 0. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the top left corner. Assisted by Neymar with a through ball.

73'
Foul by Rafinha (Barcelona).

73'
Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

72'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.

72'
Attempt blocked. Rafinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Neymar.

70'
Offside, Barcelona. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.
Substitution

68'
Substitution, Celtic. Eoghan O'Connell replaces Erik Sviatchenko.
Substitution

68'
Substitution, Celtic. Stuart Armstrong replaces Patrick Roberts.

67'
Offside, Barcelona. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Gerard Piqué is caught offside.

67'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Erik Sviatchenko.

66'
Foul by Neymar (Barcelona).

66'
Patrick Roberts (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

65'
Attempt saved. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the bottom left corner.

63'
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).

63'
Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

63'
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).

63'
Patrick Roberts (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution

61'
Substitution, Barcelona. Rafinha replaces Sergio Busquets.
Goal!

60'
Goal! Barcelona 5, Celtic 0. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Luis Suárez.
Goal!

59'
Goal! Barcelona 4, Celtic 0. Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Neymar with a cross.
Booking

56'
Scott Brown (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

56'
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the left wing.

56'
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).

55'
Offside, Barcelona. Sergi Roberto tries a through ball, but Lionel Messi is caught offside.
Goal!

50'
Goal! Barcelona 3, Celtic 0. Neymar (Barcelona) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the top left corner.

48'
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

48'
Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
Second Half


Second Half begins Barcelona 2, Celtic 0.
Substitution

45'
Substitution, Barcelona. Andrés Iniesta replaces Ivan Rakitic.
Half Time

45'+1'
First Half ends, Barcelona 2, Celtic 0.

44'
Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Neymar with a cross.

42'
Offside, Celtic. Kieran Tierney tries a through ball, but Scott Sinclair is caught offside.
Booking

40'
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

40'
Foul by Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona).

40'
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

35'
Attempt saved. Neymar (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Lionel Messi.

34'
Attempt blocked. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Neymar with a cross.

34'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.

33'
Attempt blocked. André Gomes (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.

32'
Attempt missed. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by André Gomes.

30'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.

29'
Foul by Neymar (Barcelona).

29'
Patrick Roberts (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!

27'
Goal! Barcelona 2, Celtic 0. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Neymar.

25'
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Jordi Alba.

25'
Attempt blocked. Scott Brown (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

24'
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marc-André ter Stegen.

24'
Penalty saved! Moussa Dembele (Celtic) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.
Booking

23'
Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

23'
Penalty conceded by Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona) after a foul in the penalty area.

23'
Penalty Celtic. Moussa Dembele draws a foul in the penalty area.

20'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Cristian Gamboa.

18'
Offside, Celtic. Kieran Tierney tries a through ball, but Moussa Dembele is caught offside.

17'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.

16'
Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.

13'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.

12'
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

12'
Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).

6'
Offside, Barcelona. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Jordi Alba is caught offside.
Goal!

3'
Goal! Barcelona 1, Celtic 0. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left to the top right corner. Assisted by Neymar following a corner.

3'
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Cristian Gamboa.
Kick Off


First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

Barcelona 7-0 Celtic: No embarrassment in result, says Brendan Rodgers

Lionel Messi scores his third and his side's fifth goal against Celtic