Barcelona 4-0 PSV: 5 Takeaways
FC Barcelona opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a dominant 4-0 drubbing of Dutch giants PSV on Tuesday. The win was a statement in all forms to their European rivals that the Catalans will go all out this season for European glory.
At the forefront of that big victory was the incredible Lionel Messi, who showed once more why many people regard him as the best player ever to play the game. The Argentine was at his usual best as the caused the PSV defence all sorts of troubles throughout the 90 minutes.
In the end, Messi grabbed a hat-trick – his first for the season – whiles leading by example as he seeks to return Barcelona to the pinnacle of European football.
It was a huge win, but it could have been more and, there were also occasions where one could sense PSV getting back into the game.
Below are five takeaways from the game:
#5 Dembele finally repaying Barca faith
Last season was one of the most frustrating for young winger Ousmane Dembele. The France international joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in a staggering €120 million deal, making him the second most expensive player in the world at the time.
However, the 21-year-old was blighted by issues of injuries until a few months to the end of the season when he showed glimpses of his true quality.
That, though, has not stopped the former Stade Rennes attacker from finding his feet this season. Dembele did not get much playing time with France at the World Cup, but winning the trophy seems to have boosted his confidence.
This season, he has already netted four goals and against PSV on Tuesday he scored another to set Barca en route to a 4-0 win over the Dutch side. Finally, it looks like the Frenchman is beginning to repay Barca’s faith in him.