Match ends, Barcelona 5, Ferencvárosi TC 1.
BarcelonaBarcelona5Ferencvárosi TCFerencvárosi TC1
Lionel Messi scored in a joint record 16th Champions League season and 17-year-old Pedri netted his first senior goal as Barcelona beat Ferencvaros.
Messi struck from the penalty spot to give Barca the lead after he was felled at the end of a weaving run.
Ansu Fati volleyed Barca's second, with Philippe Coutinho adding a third.
Gerard Pique was sent off for a foul that set up Ihor Kharatin to narrow the deficit with a penalty, but Pedri and Ousmane Dembele ensured Barca's win.
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Pique's dismissal is a costly one for the Spanish side, with the experienced defender now suspended for their trip to Italian champions Juventus in gameweek two.
But Barca will be lifted by Pedri's low finish, with the teenager already starting to draw attention to himself after just a handful of appearances for the club.
His contribution is a serious rival to Messi's for headline of the evening, with the Argentine forward's goal taking him level with former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs as the players to have scored in the most separate Champions League campaigns.
Messi also assisted the goal for Dembele, who stepped off the bench to add to what was a mood-brightening evening for the La Liga side, who have spent the summer trying to rebuild after their humiliating exit at the hands of Bayern Munich in last season's Champions League.
They have had an inconsistent start to their league campaign under Ronald Koeman, underlined by a shock loss to Getafe at the weekend.
After that game, Koeman said that the performances of talisman Messi, who spent the summer angling for a move away from the club with whom he has spent his entire career, "could be better".
On Tuesday he was.
The Dutchman also said he did not believe Barca were favourites for either La Liga or the Champions League this season but that "we can go far".
Observers had great reason to doubt even this qualification in the first quarter of Tuesday's game, during which Tokmac Nguen had a superb solo goal ruled out for offside and Isael hammered a drive against the crossbar.
But Messi's strike settled them and from there they grew into the game and began to show a bit of their old swagger.
The re-building job remains a work in progress and the Ferencvaros result is far from a barometer.
But, if Koeman can continue to get a tune out of Messi and consistent support from the likes of Fati, Coutinho, Dembele and Pedri, the future may not be as glum as it once seemed.
Barca make it 37 unbeaten at the Nou Camp
- Barcelona stretched their unbeaten run at the Nou Camp in the Champions League to 37 games (W33 D4); they haven't conceded more than once in any of the 37 games in this run.
- Since winning their first Champions League match against Grasshopper Club Zürich in September 1995, Ferencváros are winless in six in the competition (D2 L4), conceding 24 goals in this time.
- Barcelona have won their opening home game in 23 of their 25 Champions League seasons (D2), including each of their last nine in a row since a 2-2 draw with Milan in 2011-12.
- Fati has scored four goals in five appearances in all competitions this season, the most of any player for Barcelona in 2020-21.
- Fati is the first player ever to score more than one Champions League goal before turning 18. Indeed, Barcelona became the first team ever to have two goalscorers aged 17 or under in a single Champions League match (Ansu Fati and Pedri).
- Gerard Pique received his second red card in 117 Champions League appearances, and his first since October 2017 against Olympiakos.
- Three of Ferencvaros' 10 Champions League goals have been penalties (30%) - the highest proportion of any club with 10 or more goals in the competition's history.
Line-ups
Barcelona
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 13Neto
- 20RobertoSubstituted forFirpoat 62'minutes
- 3PiquéBooked at 68mins
- 15Lenglet
- 2Dest
- 8PjanicSubstituted forBusquetsat 76'minutes
- 21F de Jong
- 17Machado TrincãoSubstituted forDembéléat 63'minutes
- 14CoutinhoSubstituted forAraújoat 70'minutes
- 22Ansu FatiSubstituted forPedriat 62'minutes
- 10Messi
Substitutes
- 4Araújo
- 5Busquets
- 6Aleñá
- 7Griezmann
- 9Braithwaite
- 11Dembélé
- 12Puig
- 16Pedri
- 24Firpo
- 26Peña
- 28Mingueza
- 36Tenas
Ferencvárosi TC
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 90Dibusz
- 21BotkaSubstituted forLovrencsicsat 77'minutes
- 25Blazic
- 15KovacevicBooked at 90mins
- 17CivicBooked at 44minsSubstituted forHeisterat 63'minutes
- 14KharatinBooked at 85mins
- 93LaidouniBooked at 32minsSubstituted fordo Rosário Calmonat 63'minutes
- 88da Silva Barbosa
- 18Sigér
- 11ZubkovSubstituted forMakat 71'minutes
- 10Chol NguenSubstituted forBoliat 71'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Bogdan
- 5Frimpong
- 7do Rosário Calmon
- 8Lovrencsics
- 20Mak
- 22Baturina
- 26Heister
- 33Dvali
- 61Bánki
- 70Boli
- Referee:
- Sandro Schärer
Match Stats
Home TeamBarcelonaAway TeamFerencvárosi TC
- Possession
- Home62%
- Away38%
- Shots
- Home22
- Away8
- Shots on Target
- Home11
- Away2
- Corners
- Home5
- Away0
- Fouls
- Home7
- Away15
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Barcelona 5, Ferencvárosi TC 1.
Post update
Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Booking
Adnan Kovacevic (Ferencvárosi TC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Sergiño Dest (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Adnan Kovacevic (Ferencvárosi TC).
Goal!
Goal! Barcelona 5, Ferencvárosi TC 1. Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
Post update
Attempt missed. Gergo Lovrencsics (Ferencvárosi TC) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left.
Post update
Attempt saved. Robert Mak (Ferencvárosi TC) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
Booking
Ihor Kharatin (Ferencvárosi TC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Ihor Kharatin (Ferencvárosi TC).
Goal!
Goal! Barcelona 4, Ferencvárosi TC 1. Pedri (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ousmane Dembélé.
Post update
Pedri (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Franck Boli (Ferencvárosi TC).
Post update
Foul by Junior Firpo (Barcelona).
Post update
Isael (Ferencvárosi TC) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Offside, Ferencvárosi TC. Somália tries a through ball, but Marcel Heister is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Ferencvárosi TC. Gergo Lovrencsics replaces Endre Botka.
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Comments
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He is at least though playing mostly younger, ambitious players who want to play though, its all he can do atm.
Ferencvaros in order to get where they are started their marathon in August and then they play sides that are not even champions in their own countries. Champions league? It's all about money
Apparently he was struggling for form........
I think the media companies are in some sort of competition to see who can bend and influence the future the most.
Whether it’s Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Eusebio, the Brazilian Ronaldo (who may well have eclipsed everyone but for injuries), or whoever, the debates will rumble on, at least until football eats itself through greed and we give up on it.