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Barcelona put out a dominant second-half display to comprehensively defeat Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv on their own turf on Tuesday night.
Both sides could not be separated in what was a dour first half of few chances. However, the game came alive seven minutes into the second half when United States international Sergino Dest angled a low finish into the net after he had been set up excellently by Martin Braithwaite for his first Barcelona goal.
Braithwaite - making his first start of the season - got on the scoresheet just five minutes later when he finished a Mingueza flick from a corner at close range.
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The 29-year-old grabbed his brace from the penalty spot after he had been challenged in the area, and Antoine Griezmann added a late fourth in injury time to put the gloss on the scoreline.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman named a vastly changed starting lineup and handed starts to three players, while academy product Oscar Mingueza made his first-team debut.
The extremely youthful side had a mean age of just 24 years and 206 days, which made it the Blaugrana's youngest starting lineup in the competition since 2011.
It was one of the youngsters that got the ball rolling for Barcelona in the second half, with Sergino Dest's goal making him the youngest defender to score a Champions League goal for the club.
The win moves the Catalan giants up to 12 points in Group G of the Champions League and here, we shall have a rundown of five talking points from the fixture.
#5 No Messi, no problem
The buildup to this fixture was dominated by headlines of Lionel Messi being left out of the traveling squad by Koeman.
Speculations began swirling over the reason behind this decision but the Barcelona manager went to great lengths to explain that it was simply an avenue to give the Argentina international a much-needed rest.
Despite his ongoing struggles on the field, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is by far the best player at Camp Nou, and Barcelona are simply not the same side without him.
The dreadful first-half showing threatened to make a folly of Koeman's decision but ultimately, a rousing second-half display ensured that too much would not be read into Messi's absence.
It goes without saying that the Barcelona skipper is still integral to everything the club hopes to achieve but with their performance in Ukraine, the players on the peripheries showed that they also have something to offer.
#4 Barcelona secure qualification for Champions League knockout round
When the pairing for the group was made, it was widely seen as a straight two-horse race between Juventus and Barcelona for the top spot in the group. Four matchdays in, that has proved to be the case.
This victory saw the Blaugrana move onto 12 points and guaranteed their place in the knockout rounds for the 17th consecutive season.
Juventus, just three points behind, have also secured qualification and if Barcelona can get a positive result in their second-leg clash with the Italians, it would see them top their Champions League for a record-extending 14th consecutive season.
#3 Martin Braithwaite has defining Barcelona moment
This time last year, Martin Braithwaite was neck-deep in a relegation battle with Leganes. Not in his wildest dreams could he have believed he would soon be at Barcelona rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi and co.
However, long-term injury issues to Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez saw Barcelona make use of a caveat in La Liga transfer rules to sign the Denmark international from the capital side.
His late addition meant he was ineligible for the Champions League but things have hardly gone spectacularly, with Braithwaite mostly on the sidelines at Camp Nou.
The absence of Messi and Griezmann gave the former Bordeaux man a chance to take center stage, and he did so excellently, grabbing a brace as well as the assist for the opener.
This saw him become only the second Danish player (after Nicklas Bendtner) to have a hand in three Champions League goals since 2004, sending a statement of intent to Ronald Koeman over his usefulness.
Braithwaite has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou in recent weeks but his performance here shows that he could still play a key role at the club.
#2 Antoine Griezmann steps off the bench to make a mark
It is no hidden secret that Antoine Griezmann has struggled to prove his mettle since completing his record-breaking move to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid.
The France international has looked horribly out of form while he has hardly been helped by suggestions in the media of bad blood between him and Messi.
With the Rosario native rested, Griezmann would have fancied his chances of making a mark but was disappointingly left on the bench in favor of youngsters.
He did, however, get his chance when he was introduced in place of Philippe Coutinho in the 65th minute and just five minutes later, the visitors got a penalty which Braithwaite confidently stood up to dispatch.
Just when it looked like the World Cup winner would endure another frustrating evening in front of goal, he scored Barcelona's fourth goal with an excellent finish in the second minute of injury time.
The goal was only his third of the campaign, and even though Barcelona fans need him to perform on bigger stages against better opponents, the goal would go a long way in boosting Griezmann's fragile confidence.
#1 Hapless Dynamo Kyiv fail to offer much of a challenge
On paper, this looked like a straightforward fixture for Barcelona but the struggles currently being experienced by the Catalans, coupled with Messi's absence, meant that this tie had the potential to become problematic.
This is evidenced by the fact that the first leg ended in a narrow 2-1 victory for Barcelona, and the manner in which the Blaugrana fell to defeat against Atletico Madrid last weekend would have given the Ukrainians hope.
However, the home side failed to step up to the plate despite playing against a largely inexperienced side and they were unarguably second-best for the entirety of the game.
