Ferencvarosi TC 0-3 Barcelona: Barca cruise to Champions League victory without Lionel Messi

Barcelona showed once again that Lionel Messi can take a night off in the Champions League and the world does not come to an end. 

Last week they put four past Dynamo Kiev without him, this time it was three in Budapest against Ferencvaros.

Antoine Griezmann picked up the baton and delivered the first with a clever flick. Martin Braithwaite wasn’t far behind scoring the second – his fourth in three games. And Ousmane Dembele got the third and finished the game wearing the captain’s armband.

David Alba’s low cross from the left was backheeled into the bet by Antoine Griezmann

Barcelona were three up inside the first half an hour.

Griezmann scored the first with a back heel from a Jordi Alba cross. It was his third in three games and Barcelona were on their way.

On 21 minutes Dembele crossed from the left and Braithwaite finished from close range to make it 2-0. He is playing himself into the plans of Ronald Koeman having been a forgotten man at the start of the season.

Barcelona scored again on 28 minutes when Braithwaite raced clear and was brought down by Abraham Frimpong. Dembele took the ball and sent it past Denes Dibusz.

Braithwaite was getting goalside of Frimpong at every opportunity. He could have made it four but screwed his shot wide.

Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the left was poked home by Martin Braithwaite 

David Siger bent a shot just wide five minutes into the second half as the Hungarians started the second half better but Barcelona were soon back on the attack and Dembele run from the halfway line to the edge of the six-yard box with the ball at his feet. He ended the breakaway pulling his shot wide but it was a throwback to the Dembele that first turned up at Barcelona before injuries began to slow him down.

Next he raced down the left and almost found Braithwaite with a cross that went just beyond the Dane.

When Clement Lenglet went off on 65 minutes Dembele took the armband too as the most senior Barcelona player on the pitch. Koeman is doing his best to win over a player who seemed lost to the cause and Dembele is responding.

Ousmane Dembele added the third from the penalty spot in the 28th minute

Inevitable Barcelona’s foot was off the accelerator by now. Roko Baturina headed goalwards and Neto had to dive smartly to his left to keep the effort out. Dembele was not letting up and he tried to tee-up Francico Trincao but the Portuguese sent his shot wide from close-in.

Dembele wouldn’t be Dembele without taking at least one absurd decision for every five inspired ones and with six minutes left substitute Riqui Puig played him in to score. With the goal gaping he tried to play it back to Puig and Ferencvaros cleared. There was also a late lob that bobbled wide from a Puig pass.

The second half slowdown and the failure to add more goals should take nothing from the performance. Barcelona go into the final week of the Champions League group stage with top spot secured – how their great rivals Real Madrid would like to be in that position.