Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in UEFA Champions League history after scoring a hat trick to lead FC Barcelona to a 4-0 win against Apoel Nicosia on Tuesday night at Neo GSP Stadium in Cyprus.
Luis Suarez opened up the scoring parade as he gave FC Barcelona a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute, which was his first goal in a Barca uniform since his lucrative move from Liverpool in the offseason.
Messi then netted his record-setting goal in the 38th minute, increasing his tally to 72 goals - one more than former Real Madrid striker Raul's goal record.
The superstar striker, who also became the all-time scoring leader in La Liga during the weekend, added another goal in the 58th minute off a pass from Dani Alvez, and completed a hat trick in the 87th minute when he netted a goal off a cross from Pedro Rodriguez.
"I am very happy with the record in this very nice competition, but the most important thing was the team's victory," Messi told reporters after the match, ESPN FC reported. "Today was a very important game for us, for the three points, we were able to achieve that which is what was really important."
With the win, Barcelona increased their tally to 12 points, but are still behind Group F leader Paris Saint-Germain. They will have a chance to finish on top of their group when they collide with the Ligue 1 champion in their final group game on Dec. 10 at Camp Nou in Spain.
"It will be a difficult game, we lost at their pitch," Messi said. "They are a very good team, the teams know each other, and they are very strong, getting better all the time. But we will be at home and try and play a great game to finish top of the group."
In other key matches, Manchester City kept their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive after escaping with a 3-2 win over Bayern Munich at Etihad Stadium.
Bayern Munich looked poise to escape with a 2-1 road win, but Sergio Aguero scored the equalizer in the 85th minute before netting the game-winner in the 91st minute of the match.
Bayern Munich remained on top of Group E with 12 points, while Manchester City are tied with AS Roma and CSKA Moscow with five points each.
