Lionel Messi set a new Champions League scoring record with a hat-trick and Luis Suarez netted his first goal in Barcelona colours in a 4-1 win over APOEL Nicosia.
The Barca and Argentina captain, 27, surpassed the record of 71 he jointly held with former Real and Schalke 04 striker Raul when he put Barcelona 2-0 ahead
Suarez opened the scoring and his Barca account in the 27th minute after his clever turn beat Joao Guilherme on the left-hand edge of the penalty area.
Messi then redirected a Rafinha shot into the APOEL goal, before doubling his account to make it 3-0 in the 58th minute after a superb through ball from Dani Alves. APOEL's Rafinha was sent off for a second yellow card.
Guilherme also saw red five minutes before full-time and Messi rounded off the scoring with his 74th Champions League goal when he slotted home easily from Pedro's cutback after the Spaniard had evaded the offside trap.
Messi overhauled former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra's mark of 251 goals, set in 1955, and has 253 in 289 league games for the Catalan club he joined as a 13-year-old.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who ended Messi's four-year run as World Player of the Year in 2013 with his second award, has scored 70 Champions League goals.
The Portugal captain has a chance to catch or surpass his arch rival when Real play at FC Basel in Champions League Group B tomorrow night.
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