Barcelona vs. BATE Borisov: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League

Barcelona have one foot in the Champions League knockout stages after beating BATE Borisov 3-0 on Wednesday evening at the Camp Nou to go five points clear at the top of Group E.

Lionel Messi's absence was hardly noticeable as manager Luis Enrique's men ran rampant through the dynamic duo of two-goal Neymar and his striking accomplice, Luis Suarez.

Roma defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 in Wednesday's other Group E fixture, meaning the Germans now sit six points off first-place Barca, who will advance if they beat the Giallorossi at home on Nov. 24.

Goal writer Ben Hayward contested Barca could afford to have their minds elsewhere during what was a routine victory, with bigger fish to fry in La Liga this coming weekend: 

Last month's meeting between these two teams was about as one-sided as it gets, and BATE once again struggled to gain anything even resembling a foothold in their trip to Catalonia on Wednesday.

Ivan Rakitic, who bagged a brace against BATE a fortnight ago, was hauled off after just 18 minutes on Wednesday with a calf injury, but that proved to be the low point of the first period.

Their constant pressure eventually told as left-back Filip Mladenovic got the wrong side of his man and committed a foul inside his own area on the 30-minute mark, with Neymar converting the spot-kick.

The hosts trotted toward the half-time whistle with a one-goal lead to their name, but goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen almost put that cushion in doubt with a buccaneering run outside his area, per BT Sport Football:   

And as was the case in Barysaw a fortnight ago, the possession statistics told the tale of a game that might have had more one goal between the two parties. Spanish newspaper AS agreed:

Barca's two goals were perfectly weighted 15 minutes either side of the half-time whistle, and it was on the 60-minute mark that Suarez doubled his side's lead with a predatory prod from just inside BATE's box.

Neymar rolled inside from the left wing, and his attacking partner showed nimble footwork to get the ball out from under him and poke home a coveted second.

Messi or no Messi, Barcelona have been in potent form of late, and Barcastuff illustrated the side's fortune as being a product of Neymar's and Suarez's budding relationship:

"

17 of Barcelona's last 20 goals have been scored by either Luis Suarez (9) or Neymar (8) #fcblive [via @infostradalive]

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) November 4, 2015"

Playing against Barcelona at their most desperate is a tough endeavour, but BATE could agree that attempting to hound possession from Enrique's men when they're in the ascendancy is another task altogether.

The final 30 minutes of Wednesday's encounter functioned almost as a training exercise for the Blaugrana, and Suarez returned his team-mate's earlier favour for Neymar to slot a third into an open goal seven minutes from time.

Roma's win over 10-man Leverkusen may have prevented Barcelona from qualifying outright on Wednesday, but it would take a miracle for the Blaugrana— sitting five points above second place—to be stopped at this point.

To stop the reigning European champions from making it to the round of 16, the Factory Squad would not only need Barca to fall against Roma next time out, but also beat the Blaugrana themselves at home and score plenty of goals doing it.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Meanwhile, time is running out for BATE to launch their last run at progressing to the next phase of the tournament. They sit two points off Roma with two group matches left and desperately need to clinch a result against Leverkusen later this month.

For Barcelona, attention now shifts back to the domestic as they prepare to face Villarreal this Sunday followed by the first El Clasico derby against Real Madrid on Nov. 21.

Post-Match Reaction

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

With a string of important fixtures on the horizon, it was unsurprising that personnel and squad fitness should be a priority for Enrique, who was sad to see Rakitic become his side's latest casualty against BATE.

But it was fortunate that even in his absence, Sergio Busquets played what his manager saw as a dream performance, per the club's official Twitter account:

The manager went on to add that he was happy with what he saw but did take note of Rakitic's withdrawal as a glum note:

With another Champions League outing and another comfortable win under their belt, Barca are now mere inches from making their way through to the knockout stages with flying colours.

That means the club can afford to focus their efforts on domestic matters for the time being, with crunch encounters with Villarreal and Real Madrid creeping closer.