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Result: Viktoria Plzen 0-4 Barcelona

Result: Plzen 0-4 Barcelona
© PA Photos
Lionel Messi scores a hat-trick as Barcelona progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen.

Ballon d'Or nominee Lionel Messi netted a hat-trick as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen tonight.

Pep Guardiola's side went top of Group H and secured qualification to the knockout stages with the result, after AC Milan were earlier held to a draw by Belarusian minnows Bate Borisov.

Messi scored his first of the night, also his 200th in a Barca shirt, from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Marian Cisovsky.

The Plzen defender was sent off for the same incident, leaving the Czech side 1-0 down and reduced to ten men with only 22 minutes gone.

The Argentine then doubled his tally just before the break, slotting into the bottom-right corner after neat interplay with Adriano.

Plzen were thankful to goalkeeper Roman Pavlik, who twice denied Messi a third to keep the score at 2-0.

Former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas did eventually beat Pavlik to wrap up the points for Barca with his fifth goal in seven games since joining the Catalan giants.

But the night belonged to Messi, who achieved another individual milestone by completing his hat-trick, becoming the first non-European player to score 40 Champions League goals in the process.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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