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Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played across Europe on Wednesday
Lionel Messi scored his second hat-trick in as many Champions League games to give Barcelona a 4-0 win over ManchesterCity as Pep Guardiola and Claudio Bravo endured harrowing returns to the Nou Camp on Wednesday.
A slip by Fernandinho allowed Messi to round former teammate Bravo and open the scoring in the 17th minute and the keeper completed a miserable night by getting sent off in the second half for handling outside the area after losing the ball.
The magical Messi hammered in his second from the edge of the area after turning two City defenders and pounced on a Luis Suarez lay-off to complete his treble in the 69th minute.
Barca substitute Jeremy Mathieu was then dismissed for two bookable offences. Neymar had a late penalty saved by substitute keeper Willy Caballero but the Brazilian made amends by scoring the fourth goal in the 89th minute.
"It's difficult to play with Barcelona against 11 men. With 10, it was over," said Guardiola, while adamant that he would not blame Bravo for the error which effectively ended his side's night.
"Mistakes happen. He is sad but he will learn a lot. As long as I'm a coach I'll keep playing out from the goalkeeper," the coach added.
Luis Enrique's team lead the group with nine points followed by Guardiola's City on four. Borussia Moenchengladbach have three points while Celtic are bottom with one.
Guardiola, who surprisingly left out key marksman Sergio Aguero to accommodate more midfield strength, watched his old side pressed back in their own half for 15 minutes until Fernandinho's error and Messi's determination changed the course of events.
Messi began the move and fought to win the ball back before threading a pass to Andres Iniesta. Fernandinho tripped over just as he looked set to clear, leaving the Argentine an easy task to score.
City did not wilt, Nolito and Ilkay Guendogan having shots saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while at the other end Suarez was denied by Bravo and also shot wide.
The visitors collapsed after the break, though, their downfall starting when Bravo came out of his area and lost the ball to Suarez before using his hands to stop the Uruguayan's attempted chip.
"Perhaps the result is a bit unfair on them but if you commit grave errors and you have three forwards like ours against you, this is what happens," Barca coach Luis Enrique said.
Messi's second strike was reminiscent of a goal he scored against Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the 2015 semi-finals and Suarez's generosity allowed the Argentine to knock in the third with simplicity.
Caballero thwarted Neymar from the spot but the Brazilian still had time for a neat fourth, heaping more pain on Barca's most decorated coach Guardiola.
Ozil nets hat-trick as Arsenal thrash Ludogorets 6-0
Mesut Ozil applied the gloss to a ruthless Arsenal display with a second-half hat-trick in a 6-0 hammering of Ludogorets that put the Gunners on the brink of the Champions League knockout rounds on Wednesday.
Arsenal were cantering against the Bulgarian champions thanks to sublime first-half goals from Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott and a strike straight after the break from Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain before playmaker Ozil joined the party.
As Ludogorets crumbled, his well-taken goals in the 56th, 83rd and 87th minutes helped Arsenal to their biggest Champions League win since a 7-0 thrashing of Slavia Prague in 2007 and sealed their seventh successive win in all competitions.
Arsenal lead Group A on goal difference from Paris St Germain with both clubs on seven points. Ludogorets and Basel have one and are effectively playing heading for a Europa League berth.
"In the second half we took control of the game completely and could have scored more," manager Arsene Wenger said.
"Ozil has got the taste to score goals.
"We want him to be a provider and a scorer and it looks like he has got that balance now."
Sanchez struck after 12 minutes with a majestic lob over Ludogorets keeper Vladislav Stoyanov but until Walcott slammed home his eighth goal in 10 games from 25 yards shortly before halftime it was a surprisingly even game.
Ludogorets cut through Arsenal's defence several times and should have been level through lively winger Wanderson who forced David Ospina into a sharp save before hitting the post.
The second half was a romp as confidence ebbed through an Arsenal side unbeaten since the opening day of the season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, making his first start for a month, swept in from close range in the 46th minute and 10 minutes later Ozil raced on to Santi Cazorla's long punt and finished coolly past the over-exposed Stoyanov.
With victory in the bag Sanchez and Walcott were both substituted but Ozil stayed on, first converting substitute Lucas Perez's low cross, then burying a volley to become the fifth Arsenal player to score a Champions League hat-trick.
Despite the emphatic nature of Wenger's 100th European win for Arsenal, the Frenchman admitted his side had ridden their luck.
"We maybe eased off a bit early in the first half, we were sometimes in danger and I would like to give credit to (David) Ospina who saved us twice," Wenger said.
It could, however, have been a cricket score by the end.
"The only good thing is that this is not the heaviest defeat in the history of the UEFA Champions League," Stoyanov said.
Arsenal will try to keep the pressure on PSG in the race for top spot when they go to Bulgaria in two weeks time.
Aboubakar gives Besiktas dramatic win at Napoli
Vincent Aboubakar scored twice, including an 86th-minute winner, to give Besiktas a shock 3-2 win at Napoli on Wednesday after the hosts had twice come from behind and missed a penalty.
Napoli's defence was at fault for all three Besiktas goals as the Serie A side slumped to a third successive defeat in all competitions and lost an 18-match unbeaten home record in Europe.
Napoli would have become the first team in Champions League history to qualify from the group stage with three matches to spare if they had won and the other match, between Dynamo Kiev and Benfica, had been drawn
Instead, they remained on six points and are now just one ahead of Benfica, who won 2-0 at Dynamo Kiev, and Besiktas with half the group still to play.
Napoli were unbeaten in their first eight matches of the season but it has all gone wrong following a knee injury to striker Arkadiusz Milik, himself brought in to replace Gonzalo Higuain following the Argentine's move to Juventus.
Napoli fielded Dries Mertens as a false number nine.
The Belgian had two early chances but Besiktas went ahead with their first opportunity in the 12th minute when the unmarked Adriano turned in Ricardo Quaresma's low cross at the far post.
The lively Mertens then wasted another chance, heading wide from close range, but finally hit the target on the half-hour, stabbing the ball home Jose Callejon’s pass after the Spaniard was sent clear by Marek Hamsik's superb lofted pass.
Besiktas went back in front eight minutes later, however, when Jorginho tried to play the ball back from the halfway line but gave it straight to Aboubakar who burst clear and fired his shot past Pepe Reina.
The drama continued after halftime as Besiktas goalkeeper Fabricio saved Insigne's weak spot kick in the 50th minute, the Spaniard atoning after giving away the penalty in the first place.
Napoli were given another chance in the 69th minute after Caner Erkin hauled down Mertens and this time Gabbiadini, who had replaced Insigne, sent Fabricio the wrong way.
Gabbiadini had a goal disallowed for offside as Napoli pressed forward in search of a winner but Besiktas stole the points when Cameroon forward Aboubakar stole in front of his markers to head in Ricardo Quaresma's free kick from close range.
Toure errors see Celtic's home record undone by Gladbach
Celtic's 21-match unbeaten home record was wrecked as Borussia Moenchengladbach cashed in on two mistakes from defender Kolo Toure to deservedly win their Champions League Group C encounter 2-0 on Wednesday.
Poor second-half errors from the Ivorian veteran set up goals for Lars Stindl, after 57 minutes, and Andre Hahn, in the 77th, to give the Germans their first victory following two defeats and leave Celtic at the bottom of the table with one point.
The hosts, attempting to reprise the sort of special Parkhead night that inspired them to hold ManchesterCity in their previous match, were under pressure early on in a first half that Gladbach dominated.
Craig Gordon had to make fine saves from Ibrahima Traore, Jonas Hofmann and Hahn as the injury-depleted visitors took a grip.
Celtic, against the run of play, then carved out their best chance moments before halftime only for Scott Sinclair to balloon the ball over the bar.
The home team gave away a soft goal when Toure made a mess of trying to shepherd the ball away from the goalmouth. Hahn robbed him and found Stindl who shot between Gordon's legs at his near post.
The 35-year-old then got caught in possession by Stindl just outside the centre circle and the ball broke to Hahn who forged forward to seal Gladbach's first away win in the European Cup proper since 1977.
