Group E Barcelona 3 Olympique Lyon 0:Argentina winger Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a 3-0 home win over French champions Olympique Lyon in their Champions League Group E opener last night.
The 2006 winners have scored only once from open play in their first three Primera Liga games this season and needed a slice of luck to take the lead against Lyon.
Messi crossed low into the area after 21 minutes and Lyon defender Francois Clerc diverted the ball into his own net.
Frank Rijkaard's side struggled to add to the score until Messi scored a second in the 82nd. Thierry Henry scored his first competitive goal for Barca at the very end.
Lyon were pinned in their half from the start and were lucky not to fall behind in the seventh minute. Eric Abidal stormed down the left and fired in a low cross which just eluded Henry's outstretched foot at the near post.
Soon after, Abidal provided another cross and Deco's stabbed shot forced Remy Vercoutre into a flying save.
The pressure paid off when Messi swapped flanks and drove into the area from the left, following a short corner from Ronaldinho, and fired in a low cross which Clerc inadvertently turned in.
Lyon started to get into the game after the early storm, but failed to test Victor Valdes.
Clerc made amends for his own-goal as half-time approached, denying Messi after a sublime piece of skill from the Argentine.
Ronaldinho's floated cross was chested down inside the area by Messi, who jinked back inside to send his marker sprawling, but his goalbound shot was blocked on the line.
The second half started where the first left off as a flowing passing move put Messi through on goal, but this time he scooped his shot wastefully over the bar.
Vercoutre denied Henry at his near post midway through the second half, but could do nothing about Messi's strike with eight minutes to go.
Barca scythed through Lyon with a series of quick passes down the left that ended with substitute Andres Iniesta pulling the ball back for Messi to sidefoot home.
With a minute remaining another substitute Giovani dos Santos charged in from the right flank and forced Vercoutre to save, but Henry was on hand to poke the loose ball into the net.
BARCELONA: Valdes, Zambrotta, Marquez, Milito, Abidal, Xavi (Giovanni 78), Toure Yaya, Deco, Messi (Bojan 88), Ronaldinho (Iniesta 65), Henry. Subs not used: Jorquera, Sylvinho, Thuram, Oleguer. Booked: Toure Yaya, Henry.
OLYMPIQUE LYON: Vercoutre, Clerc, Squillaci, Bodmer, Reveillere, Juninho, Kallstrom (Keita 83), Toulalan, Belhadj (Baros 62), Govou, Benzema (Ben Arfa 75). Subs not used: Roux, Grosso, Anderson, Fabio Santos.
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland).
