Lionel Messi played 16 minutes as Barcelona cruised to a 3-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nelson Mandela Centenary Cup in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez scored first-half goals and Andre Gomes added another after the interval to help the Spanish champions coast past their South African counterparts.

Though Messi, Gerrard Pique and Philippe Coutinho all started from the bench, an otherwise strong Barca XI encountered few hiccups, aside from a Sibusiso Vilakazi consolation strike in the 76th minute.

Ernesto Valverde had been criticised for resting players from the thrilling 5-4 defeat to Levante on Sunday that saw Barca’s unbeaten LaLiga season come undone in the penultimate match of the season.

Watch: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Barcelona