<p> Lionel Messi stole Cristiano Ronaldo's thunder again by plundering yet another hat-trick for Barcelona and Basel ruined Jose Mourinho's Champions League return with a shock win at Chelsea on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Former champions Milan and Porto began the group phase with victories but last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund suffered a jarring defeat at Napoli after being reduced to 10 men and having manager Jurgen Klopp exiled to the stands.<br /><br />A day after Ronaldo threw down the gauntlet with a hat-trick for Real Madrid in a 6-1 thrashing of Galatasaray, prolific Argentine Messi responded with three goals in Barcelona's 4-0 Group H romp at home to Ajax Amsterdam.<br /><br />Whatever magic Ronaldo conjures, Messi always seems to have a riposte, soaring to ever greater heights in the ongoing duel between Europe's two most deadly marksmen.<br />Messi went through his repertoire, breaking the deadlock with a curling free kick after 22 minutes, running in his second 10 minutes into the second half and, after Gerard Pique had also got in on the act, completing his hat-trick with a clinical finish 15 minutes from time.<br />His latest exploits made him the first player to score four hat-tricks in the Champions League and took his overall tally to 62 goals in 80 matches in the competition.<br /><br />Ronaldo, three times beaten to the World Player of the Year award by Messi in the last four years, has 53 goals in 93 games.<br /><br />"We're riddled with stars and it's normal for a player to put in an excellent performance," said Barca coach Gerardo Martino after his first Champions League game in charge of the side.<br />After Tuesday's torrent of 30 goals, defences tightened up in Wednesday's Group E-H games with only four goals arriving in the night's eight matches before half-time – all scored by south Americans, including Napoli's new recruit Gonzalo Higuain.<br /><br />Another came from Chelsea's Brazilian Oscar as Mourinho's first European game in charge since returning to the club that fired him six years ago appeared to be going to plan.<br />But Basel had other ideas as Mohamed Salah curled in an equaliser before Marco Streller headed a late winner to avenge his side's Europa League semi-final loss to Chelsea last season.<br /><br />The goals eventually began flying in around the grounds although seven-times former champions Milan left it late before scoring twice to beat Celtic 2-0 in Group H.<br />Milan needed an own goal from Emilio Izaguirre to pierce Celtic's rearguard before Sulley Muntari sealed the points.<br /><br />Porto had a second-half goal from Lucho Gonzalez to thank for a 1-0 win at Austria Vienna in Group G where Atletico Madrid began in confident fashion with a 3-1 defeat of Zenit St Petersburg in the Vicente Calderon.<br /><br />Rafael Benitez is beginning a Champions League campaign with a fifth club and his Napoli side lived up to their billing as dark horses with Higuain heading the opener in a 2-1 defeat of last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund.<br /><br />Dortmund ended the Group F contest with 10 men after keeper Roman Weidenfelder was sent off and coach Klopp was sent to the stands after an angry outburst.<br /><br />There was better luck for Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04 as they scored three late goals to overcome a rugged Steaua Bucharest side who dug deep for 67 minutes.<br /><br />Stunning strikes by Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal a 2-1 victory in Marseille to continue their record of never having lost a European game away to a French club.<br /><br />Arsenal have won 10 successive away wins in all competitions and manager Arsene Wenger said they were full of belief for what is a difficult group including Napoli and Dortmund.<br />"I knew it was important to get three points here if we want to have a chance," Wenger said. Reuters</p>
<p> Lionel Messi stole Cristiano Ronaldo's thunder again by plundering yet another hat-trick for Barcelona and Basel ruined Jose Mourinho's Champions League return with a shock win at Chelsea on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Former champions Milan and Porto began the group phase with victories but last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund suffered a jarring defeat at Napoli after being reduced to 10 men and having manager Jurgen Klopp exiled to the stands.<br /><br />A day after Ronaldo threw down the gauntlet with a hat-trick for Real Madrid in a 6-1 thrashing of Galatasaray, prolific Argentine Messi responded with three goals in Barcelona's 4-0 Group H romp at home to Ajax Amsterdam.<br /><br />Whatever magic Ronaldo conjures, Messi always seems to have a riposte, soaring to ever greater heights in the ongoing duel between Europe's two most deadly marksmen.<br />Messi went through his repertoire, breaking the deadlock with a curling free kick after 22 minutes, running in his second 10 minutes into the second half and, after Gerard Pique had also got in on the act, completing his hat-trick with a clinical finish 15 minutes from time.<br />His latest exploits made him the first player to score four hat-tricks in the Champions League and took his overall tally to 62 goals in 80 matches in the competition.<br /><br />Ronaldo, three times beaten to the World Player of the Year award by Messi in the last four years, has 53 goals in 93 games.<br /><br />"We're riddled with stars and it's normal for a player to put in an excellent performance," said Barca coach Gerardo Martino after his first Champions League game in charge of the side.<br />After Tuesday's torrent of 30 goals, defences tightened up in Wednesday's Group E-H games with only four goals arriving in the night's eight matches before half-time – all scored by south Americans, including Napoli's new recruit Gonzalo Higuain.<br /><br />Another came from Chelsea's Brazilian Oscar as Mourinho's first European game in charge since returning to the club that fired him six years ago appeared to be going to plan.<br />But Basel had other ideas as Mohamed Salah curled in an equaliser before Marco Streller headed a late winner to avenge his side's Europa League semi-final loss to Chelsea last season.<br /><br />The goals eventually began flying in around the grounds although seven-times former champions Milan left it late before scoring twice to beat Celtic 2-0 in Group H.<br />Milan needed an own goal from Emilio Izaguirre to pierce Celtic's rearguard before Sulley Muntari sealed the points.<br /><br />Porto had a second-half goal from Lucho Gonzalez to thank for a 1-0 win at Austria Vienna in Group G where Atletico Madrid began in confident fashion with a 3-1 defeat of Zenit St Petersburg in the Vicente Calderon.<br /><br />Rafael Benitez is beginning a Champions League campaign with a fifth club and his Napoli side lived up to their billing as dark horses with Higuain heading the opener in a 2-1 defeat of last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund.<br /><br />Dortmund ended the Group F contest with 10 men after keeper Roman Weidenfelder was sent off and coach Klopp was sent to the stands after an angry outburst.<br /><br />There was better luck for Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04 as they scored three late goals to overcome a rugged Steaua Bucharest side who dug deep for 67 minutes.<br /><br />Stunning strikes by Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal a 2-1 victory in Marseille to continue their record of never having lost a European game away to a French club.<br /><br />Arsenal have won 10 successive away wins in all competitions and manager Arsene Wenger said they were full of belief for what is a difficult group including Napoli and Dortmund.<br />"I knew it was important to get three points here if we want to have a chance," Wenger said. Reuters</p>