Barcelona scored five times in the first 28 minutes on the way to thrashing Atletico Madrid 6-1 on an incredible night at the Nou Camp on Saturday. Rafa Marquez, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi put the locals three up inside eight minutes as the game got off to an explosive start. Maxi Rodriguez pulled one back for Atletico five minutes later, but Eto'o restored Barca's three-goal advantage shortly afterwards and Eidur Gudjohnsen added a fifth for the home side short of the half-hour mark. The second half was less intense, but Thierry Henry wrapped up a brilliant Barcelona win with his side's sixth after 73 minutes. Atletico came into the match with six key players missing. Maniche, Simao Sabrosa, Georgios Seitaridis, Pablo Ibanez, Diego Forlan and Ignacio Camacho were all out, but coach Javier Aguirre claimed in the build-up that his team could still win the game. But that faith was obliterated within eight minutes as Barcelona stormed into a three-goal lead. The rout began in the third minute, when Marquez rose superbly to head Xavi's free-kick past Gregory Coupet. Two minutes later, things got even worse for Atletico when Czech Republic defender Tomas Ujfalusi brought down Messi in the area and Barcelona were awarded a penalty. Eto'o stepped up to fire the spot-kick past Coupet, who went the right way but could do nothing to prevent the Cameroon striker from doubling Barca's lead. The France goalkeeper was at fault for Barcelona's third goal, however. The former Lyon stopper was still lining up his wall on one side of his goal when Messi cheekily curled a free-kick into the other corner. The Argentina winger celebrated with a broad grin, but Atletico will not have seen the funny side. The visitors did pull a goal back shortly afterwards, though, when Maxi crashed a blistering drive past Victor Valdes from the edge of the box. But the Argentina midfielder soon limped off and Barca quickly restored their three-goal cushion when Eto'o turned the hapless Ujfalusi and angled a trademark clinical finish past Coupet. The Catalans had the ball in the net again after 24 minutes but Gudjohnsen's strike was ruled out because Andres Iniesta was in an offside position when he received the ball in the build-up. However, the same two players combined to put Barcelona 5-1 ahead shortly afterwards. Iniesta's long-range shot hit a post, but the rebound fell to the unmarked Gudjohnsen, who gratefully fired into an empty net. Messi then should have made it 6-1 from a mesmerising run five minutes before half-time. The winger took up possession on the halfway line and accelerated past Antonio Lopez and Ujfalusi before delicately chipping the ball over Coupet, only for the ball to drift agonisingly wide. The game had been billed as a duel between Messi and Argentina forward Sergio Aguero, but the Atletico man saw hardly any of the ball and was unsurprisingly withdrawn 12 minutes into the second half. The game was well and truly lost for Atletico by then and the visitors' ambition was now restricted to damage limitation. Barcelona also lost some intensity in the second half, but the Nou Camp faithful were able to celebrate one more goal as substitute Henry finished a move he started himself with a lovely low drive which gave Coupet no chance. Barcelona move provisionally into second place, three points behind Villarreal who beat Real Betis 2-1 earlier on Saturday. Atletico, meanwhile, sit four points further back in seventh.