It was a night to forget for Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates after being humbled at an empty Camp Nou stadium by Paris Saint-Germain. The hosts were thoroughly outplayed in a match where the side from Paris didn’t feature the likes of Neymar and Angel Di Maria, but an in form Mbappé showed why he’s the one who will rewrite the history books once Messi and Ronaldo finally hang their boots. Barcelona opened the scoring in the 27th minute with Messi converting from the penalty spot after Frenkie de Jong was clipped by Layvin Kurzawa, the hosts found themselves on the back foot five minutes later when Mbappé equalized from a close range shot. The 22 year old put his side ahead in the 65th minute and Moise Kean added to the lead five minutes later with a header from a freekick. Mbappé sealed his hat trick by finishing off a quick counterattack with a first time shot into the far corner in the 85th minute. It was only the second hat trick Barcelona have ever conceded at home in the Champions League, the other being Dynamo Kiev’s Andriy Shevchenko in 1997 but the result highlighted the turmoil FC Barcelona have been experiencing since that 2-8 defeat to eventual champions Bayern Munich and the financial and political problems the club has been plagued with. Four years ago, at the same stage of the Champions League, Barcelona and PSG faced each other in a fixture that featured a dramatic comeback. With a 4-0 deficit in the first leg, Barça went all guns blazing with a 6-1 win to progress to the next round. A comeback of that sort seems unlikely this time, with Ronald Koeman’s side thoroughly outplayed at home and Mbappé playing the way he is. The two sides will face each other on 11th March 1:30 am IST for the second leg, with Barcelona hoping Lionel Messi can be at his supernatural best to stage another epic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain who will hope that this victory will propel them to achieve their first elusive Champions League trophy.