Spartak have lost their chance to make it to the UEFA Champions League playoffs after a 3-0 thrashing by FC Barcelona in Moscow.

Luzhniki Stadium was packed for the clash against the Catalans, with nearly 80,000 taking part in one of the biggest pre-match performances Russian football has ever seen.

The whole arena was red and white, but the home players couldn’t match the fans on the night.

The Muscovites looked pretty good in the opening minutes, with only a lack of accuracy preventing Dmitry Kombarov and Kim Kallstrom from opening the scoring.  

But Spartak’s game fell apart as soon as they went a goal down on the 16th minute.

The defenders managed to stop Lionel Messi in the box, but couldn’t clear the ball, with Dani Alves firing from outside the box, 0-1.

On the 27th minute, Spartak keeper Andrey Dikan saved a shot from Andres Iniesta, but Messi was first on the rebound to double Barcelona’s lead, 0-2.

And 12 minutes later, the world’s best footballer netted his second after a rendezvous with the goalie, 0-3.

In all, Messi has scored four goals in two games against Spartak in the current edition of the Champions League. 

The second half was just a formality after that, with the Spanish side calmly leading the game to victory.

"This game wasn't easy for us and we were lucky we were able to convert our chances, keep control of the ball and find space, and do what we failed to do when we played Spartak last time. We prepared for this match like we do for every game," Messi told UEFA.com. "We always play in the same style, whatever the opposition. When we played at the Camp Nou, Spartak defended very well and we found it difficult to create space. Today they were more open. We had a lot of players in the middle of the pitch and because of this we were able to keep possession and were able to convert our chances." 

The three points, earned in Moscoe, allowed Barcelona to qualify for the group stages, with one game still left to play.

Spartak have missed on the knockout stages, having four defeats and a single win in the Champions League.

After Benfica topped visiting Celtic 2-1 in another Group G match, it became clear that the Muscovites will finish in fourth place, failing to make it to Europa Legue as well.   

RIA Novosti / Alexander Vilf

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