Barcelona 6-0 Hibs: Early strikes put Barcelona on easy street against Hibs

BARCELONA 6
Gudjohnsen (5, 16), Messi (14), Pedro (26), Bojan (48), Toure (70)
HIBS 0

A WARM evening at the national rugby stadium provided a comfortable beginning to the new campaign for Barcelona, but a chill and unsettling one for Hibernian. Even allowing for the quality of the opposition, this was a humiliating outing for Mixu Paatelainen's team, who can have got little out of the occasion bar demoralisation.

Dean Shiels was the pick of the Edinburgh side, and the odd spark from Steven Fletcher showed why he has attracted interest in Spain. For the most part, though, Hibs looked dispirited.

It should be added that Barcelona, who had the game wrapped up in quarter of an hour, looked far sharper and well motivated than they had been a year ago when they beat Hearts 3-1 at the same venue. Their new manager, Pep Guardiola, has already gone some way to instil a harder-working approach, and that combined with their evident talent was enough to sweep Hibs aside.

After a gentle start befitting its status as Barcelona's first pre-season outing, the match burst into life in the fifth minute. Dani Alves' cross from the right looked speculative at best, but Chris Hogg, failing to realise how much time he had, hastily cleared it straight to Eidur Gudjohnsen. The former Chelsea player took the ball first time and found the net from 20 yards out.

Undeterred by that early setback, Hibs persisted in pressing forward in search of their first goal in four pre-season matches. They might well have got it after 13 minutes when Alan O'Brien used his speed to break clear up the left wing, but the Irishman delayed his pass into the box unnecessarily, allowing Victor Valdes time to rush out of his goal and collect the ball before Shiels could get to it.

Early in the contest though it was, that lost opportunity was effectively Hibs' last of taking something from the game, as within three minutes they conceded two more goals.

The first, scored by Lionel Messi, was an example of how swiftly a team as talented as Barcelona can switch from an apparently innocuous build-up to a punishing conclusion.

With five or six Hibs players between the Argentine player and their goal, nothing looked on when Messi picked up the pass from Victor Vazquez. But he made room for himself by skipping past a lunging challenge by Rob Jones, got into the ideal position by evading Ian Murray, and then curled a shot from 15 yards into the bottom left-hand corner of Andy McNeil's net.

The goalkeeper almost got a hand to that one, but he came nowhere close two minutes later when a move involving Messi and Thierry Henry among others ended with Gudjohnsen shooting from the left side of his box. Chris Hogg got close enough to make contact, but could do no more than deflect the ball past McNeil and into the net.

Having shown they could score almost at will, Barcelona eased off for the next ten minutes, but then struck again. Messi turned provider this time, slipping through a pass from which Pedro scored with embarrassing ease.

It could have been even worse for Hibs just before the half-hour mark when Messi let fly again, but McNeil pulled off an excellent save to tip the shot over the bar.

Messi had the ball in the net shortly after that when he broke through, rounded McNeil, and tapped in, but mercifully for Hibs he was ruled offside.

Mixu Paatelainen's team had a lot to do even to restore some respectability in their performance. Shiels, impressive both for his hard work and close control, was doing all he could to take the game to Barca, but he was direly in need of some assistance from his team-mates.

The removal of Henry and Messi at half-time might have boosted Hibs' hopes, but their replacement by players of the calibre of Bojan and Yaya Toure could equally have been seen as an ominous sign. Certainly, any suspicion that Guardiola was going to let his side slacken off was dispelled within three minutes of the restart, when two of his six substitutes combined to put their side five up.

There was a degree of luck to the ricochet which took Jeffren beyond the Hibs defence, but there was nothing fortuitous about the manner in which Bojan volleyed his cross home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Hopelessly outclassed though they were, Hibs were able to fight their way back upfield and create their best chance of the match, a fierce shot on the run from Fletcher which Jose Manuel Pinto did well to save.

After a quiet first half, Fletcher was coming on to a game, and he soon had another chance to score. Nish did the approach work, turning two men on the left of the box. His low cross was cleverly curved clear of Pinto, but Fletcher could not get enough control on his contact and the ball skidded wide.

There was no such profligacy at the other end with 20 minutes remaining. Jeffren again did the damage from wide out, and this time it was Toure who scored first time from his shot.

Having already been knocked out of the Intertoto Cup, Hibs had hoped for a happier outing against continental opposition here, or signs of form and fitness beginning to peak at least.

Barcelona: Valdes (Pinto 46), Corcoles, Marquez (Caceres 46), Pique, Alves (Abraham 46), Vazquez (Crosas 30, Keita 66), Pedro (Hleb 66), Messi (Jeffren 46), Sergio (Toure 46), Gudjohnsen (Eto'o 66), Henry (Bojan 46). All subs used.

Hibs: McNeil (Grof 82), Hanlon, Hogg (Canning 74), Jones, Murray (Thicot 46), Van Zanten, Stevenson (Chisholm 46), Shiels (Rankin 74), O'Brien (Cropley 82), Fletcher (Morais 66), Nish. All subs used.

HOW THEY RATED AT MURRAYFIELD

BARCELONA

Victor Valdes

Pretty much a bystander in the opening half and was replaced at half-time due to boredom as much as anything else. 5/10

David Corcoles

Quiet evening for the left- back who was allowed to go forward at every opportunity. 6

Rafael Marquez

Early brutal challenge on Fletcher might have seen him punished with a booking in a competitive fixture. Untroubled afterwards. 6

Gerard Pique

Former Manchester United player strolled through his return to the colours of Barcelona. Looks to be an impressive capture. 6

Dani Alves

Right back given a modicum of trouble by Alan O'Brien's pace and on at least one occasion was shown a clean-pair of heels by the Irishman. 5

Victor Vazquez

Replaced by Crosas after only 30 minutes, with his side already four up. 4

Pedro Rodriguez

Scored his side's fourth goal with a fine finish after great work from Messi. 7

Eidur Gudjohnsen

Got the ball rolling with a fine goal after four minutes and notched another later in the first half. 7

Sergio Busquets

Another who relished the chance to stroll across the park as his side turned on the style in the first half. 6

Lionel Messi

What more is there to say about the little maestro? Scored one and laid on another in a dazzling first-half show. 9

Thierry Henry

Did not impose himself as much as might have been expected but still played a part in much of Barcelona's good work. Looks fit and hungry. 7

HIBERNIAN

Andy McNeil

The goalkeeper did not get much help from his defence, but on a difficult night he acquitted himself well with some fine saves. 6/10

Paul Hanlon

The young full-back defended well and kept his concentration in trying circumstances for any player. One of Hibs' best performers on the night. 6

Chris Hogg

Looked bewildered by the skills of his opponents and found it hard to put a coherent game together. 4

Rob Jones

Another Hibs player who struggled to find and maintain composure. Tormented by Messi and colleagues, especially in first half. 4

David Van Zanten

Stuck to an arduous task pretty well, doing his best to shackle Barca's forays down the flanks. 5

Ian Murray

Did little in the first half and did not emerge for the second. 3

Lewis Stevenson

Play passed the young midfielder by for most of the time he was on the field. 3

Dean Shiels

Did not let his head go down and kept trying to play good football. A defiant performance from Hibs' best player on the night. 7

Alan O'Brien

Had the odd decent touch but again showed his speed is not matched by other aspects of his game. 4

Steven Fletcher

Played well after a quiet start, giving glimpses of the sharpness which has given him such a good reputation. 6

Colin Nish

Did well at times in support of Fletcher up front on a difficult evening for the Hibs forward line. 5