BARCELONA: Neymar scored a Champions League hat trick in a 6-1 rout of Celtic on Wednesday to help Barcelona forget about Lionel Messi, for one night at least.

Gerard Pique, Pedro Rodriguez, and Cristian Tello also scored for Group H winners Barcelona, while Giorgos Samara added a late consolation goal for Celtic, which finished last in the group.

With Messi sidelined by a hamstring injury, Neymar was finally able to take command of a Barcelona attack which has passed through the boots of the Argentina forward for so many years.

On Wednesday at the Camp Nou, it was Neymar's feet which did the talking as he finally scored in Europe's elite competition.

''I don't feel pressure but, still, I should score,'' Neymar said.

After Pique's seventh-minute opener got the Spanish champions going, Neymar used some masterful dribbling to throw off defender Efe Ambrose with his change of rhythm before cutting a pass back into the box for Pedro to direct home in the 40th.

The Brazil forward was able to tap home his first goal since Nov. 10 four minutes later after Alexis Sanchez lifted a ball over Celtic's defense to meet Marc Montoya's run, and the Spanish fullback slid it back for an easy goal.

Neymar showed no problems handling Barcelona's slick combination capabilities as he backheeled to Xavi Hernandez who returned on to his run through the defense, and Neymar sent a rising shot into the corner as he slipped to the ground in the 48th.

''I wouldn't say some players gave up but it certainly looked that way at times,'' said Celtic coach Neil Lennon. ''A lot of half-hearted performances and, as a manager, that was the most disappointing aspect of the whole game.''

Ambrose was caught out again in the 58th. Neymar's stepover created space before he used his other foot to slide the ball through the big defender's legs, get into the box and then beat Forster.

Neymar nearly had a fourth in the 65th as he beat the offside trap to go in alone on Forster, only to dabble too long looking for a shot and his run collided with Pedro, who took a shot that was saved.

Forster could only watch as Tello, who returned from injury to replace Sanchez, tried a shot that deflected high and into goal in the 72nd minute.

''I hope, with this game tonight, that we've put to rest any doubts about our play,'' Pedro said.

Barcelona, which rested Andres Iniesta, rebounded from a 2-1 loss to Ajax to finish top of the standings with 13 points. AC Milan also advanced after drawing 0-0 against Ajax to finish second.

''What's important is we've overcome two straight losses and that can change things for us as we concentrate on the league,'' Neymar said after taking his season goal tally to seven.

Last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund were spared a Champions League exit when a dramatic late goal from Kevin Grosskreutz sent the German side into the last 16 on Wednesday.

Dortmund, who beat Olympique Marseille 2-1, Arsenal and Napoli all finished on 12 points with the Bundesliga team topping Group F and the Italians proving the odd team out on head-to-head superiority despite a 2-0 victory over the English Premier League leaders.

Seven-times European champions AC Milan clung on with 10 men for a point at home against Ajax Amsterdam to become Serie A's sole representative in the knockout stage after Juventus also bit the dust.

Milan had captain Riccardo Montolivo sent off midway through the first half but Ajax could not take advantage and secure the victory they needed to leapfrog the hosts.

Brazil striker Neymar scored a hat-trick, his first Champions League goals, as Barcelona romped to a 6-1 demolition of Celtic to go through as Group H winners.

Galatasaray ended the campaign of Italian champions Juve with a 1-0 success in Istanbul, Wesley Sneijder hitting a late winner in a game re-started on Wednesday following Tuesday's abandonment because of heavy snow.

Zenit St Petersburg and Schalke 04 also progressed.

Zenit created Champions League history by becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout stages with only six points from six matches after a 4-1 defeat at Austria Vienna.

The defeat did not prove costly thanks to Porto's 2-0 defeat at Group G table-toppers Atletico Madrid.

Schalke beat Basel 2-0 to deny the Swiss side second spot in a Group E won by Chelsea who beat Steaua Bucharest 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.