Barcelona captain Lionel Messi expresses relief after Spaniards seal top spot with 2-1 win over PSV; says team content to come through a complicated group
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi celebrates a goal against PSV Eindhoven during the Champions League match on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images
Ernesto Valverde is soothed by Barcelona's record on the road in the Champions League this season after they guaranteed top spot in Group B with a 2-1 win at PSV Eindhoven. Barca struggled away from the Nou Camp in Europe last term, scoring just once in three group stage matches and surrendering a 4-1 lead against Roma on a dreadful night at the Stadio Olimpico to exit at the quarter-final stage.
But they put four goals past Tottenham at Wembley last month and second-half strikes from Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique proved enough for all three points at the Philips Stadion, despite Luuk De Jong setting up a tense finale.
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Messi, as he has been for much of the last decade, was the architect of Barca's latest success, opening the scoring with his 106th Champions League goal — the most by any player at one club in the competition.
"We have fulfilled the goal of being the first in a complicated group with great teams. We are content," the Barcelona captain said. On his latest record, he added: "I'm very happy, I just found out now. I'm very happy about this new statistic."
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