In a result that was of little surprise, defending Champions League title holders Barcelona defeated BATE Barisov, 5-0, on Wednesday in a group play action.

The Catalans headed to halftime with a 3-0 lead due to an own goal from Aliaksandr Volodko, and goals from forwards Pedro Rodriguez and Lionel Messi.

In the second half, Messi would strike again in the 55th minute, and David Villa would add the final goal of the match in the 90th minute, as Barcelona cruised to the easy victory.

The Belarus club was on their heels for nearly the entire match, and failed to slow down Barcelona's dizzying passing game. Barcelona held possession for 73 percent of the match.

BATE should feel some consolation that Athletico Madrid also recently lost to Barcelona, 5-0. It seems that Pep Guardiola's squad is simply unstoppable at time.

Barcelona took 23 shots, with 12 on goal, and BATE only took five shots, with none on goal.

For Messi, he has now moved into elite company for the Barcelona. The Argentine moved into a tie for second place on Barcelona's all-time goal-scoring list

Take a look at the highlights or the BATE - Barcelona match:

Uefa champions league Uefa champions league Lionel Messi Lionel Messi