'The assist was an accident'

A delighted Lionel Messi admitted after the Champions League encounter against PSV that his assist to Gerard Pique was an accident.

After scoring a brilliant opener that saw him eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo as the top-scorer in the tournament with his 106th goal,  Messi mishit a set-piece that was poked in by Pique in the second half of Barca's 2-1 victory on Wednesday.

"The free-kick didn't come off but Gerard was in the area and he saw it and fortunately it went in but it was not something we had planned," Messi said.

Luuk de Jong pulled a goal back late on for PSV, but Barca saw out victory to seal top spot in Group B.

About overtaking Ronaldo, he said: "I am delighted, I have just found out now. I am happy for this new stat."

Messi was also thrilled to see his side clinch top spot in a group that includes Inter and Tottenham. "We have achieved our objective of finishing top of a difficult group," he said. "We are really happy, it has been a tight group with tough away trips."