PITCH HIGH

UEFA Champions League: Lionel Messi scored in his 700th game to lead Bareclona to the round 16

By pitchhigh | Nov 29, 2019

Lionel Messi's first-half goal was to score against the 34th team, surpassing the mark he shared with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul.

Highlights

  • Barcelona reached round 16 as a winner in Group F
  • Messi scored and set up goals for Suarez and Griezmann
  • Barcelona top the standings with 11 points in five games 

Lionel Messi scored in his 700th match for Barcelona and set up goals for Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann as the Catalans beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Wednesday to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stages as a winner of the group F.

Messi organized Barcelona's lead in the entire Camp Nou in the 29th minute before Uruguay restored courtesy to Argentina to set another Champions League record on his landmark night four minutes later.

Messi's left foot strike he scored against the 34th different team in the Champions League, beating the mark he shared with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul.

"Messi is moving very well between the lines and when he receives the ball he is almost unstoppable," said Dortmund coach Lucien Favre, whose side scored late through substitute Jadon Sancho.

"Sometimes, all you can do is try to fool him because he is very explosive. He's also deadly every time he makes a final ball."

Substitute Griezmann finished with a pass from Messi separating his defense to extend Barcelona's advantage in the 67th minute, a goal desperately needed for Frenchman's confidence after not scoring in the previous six games of the club.

Griezmann was left out of the starting line-up but reached in the middle of the first half when Ousmane Dembele, was forced to sign off due to a muscle problem.

Dortmund England's striker also started the game on the bench, but he had an impact when he appeared after the first half, firing a painful blow to the Germans in the 77th minute after throwing a loose ball inside the area.
The 19-year-old has forced Barcelona goalkeeper Mark Andre Ter Stegen to turn a powerful shot on to the crossbar in a strong finish from the German side, whose coach Favre is under pressure because of poor national results.

But he did not spoil what was a therapeutic victory for Barcelona, which has been harshly criticized for its recent weak performance against Leganes, Levante and Slavia Prague, despite the fact that they are the best in the La Liga and the Champions League group.

Ernesto Valverde tops the standings with 11 points in five games, Inter Milan are second on seven, Dortmund is third same on seven and Slavia bottom with two.

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