Barcelona came through their first test without the injured Lionel Messi, earning a convincing 2-0 win at home against Internazionale on Wednesday to take control of Group B in the Champions League.

Rafinha opened the scoring in the 32nd minute against the club where he spent the second half of last season, before Jordi Alba’s late strike extended Barcelona’s perfect start to their European campaign.

Without Messi, sidelined with a broken arm, Barça lacked their usual ingenuity and the visitors conjured the first opening, Mauro Icardi steering Ivan Perisic’s cross over the bar under pressure from Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Slowly the hosts built momentum, with two tame Rafinha efforts comfortably saved by Samir Handanovic and defender Clément Lenglet also missing two chances in the first half-hour.

Rafinha broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark, bursting through the middle and finding Luis Suárez, before turning the Uruguayan’s cross in on the volley.

It was a deserved lead and Barça almost grabbed a second just before the break. Milan Skriniar brought down Philippe Coutinho on the edge of the box, and the Brazilian’s free kick deflected off Miranda and dropped inches wide of the wrong-footed Handanovic’s post.

Inter almost levelled five minutes after the restart when Ter Stegen was forced to make a vital save from Matteo Politano’s dangerous cross. Handanovic then had to stop Suárez making it 2-0 as the hosts rediscovered their stride.

Lenglet was denied again before the hosts came inches from doubling their lead with 19 minutes remaining. Suárez’s header was parried away and Coutinho pounced on the loose ball, but hammered it against the bar from seven yards out.

Alba did seal the points with eight minutes remaining, as the left-back raced onto Ivan Rakitic’s excellent through ball and drilled into the bottom corner.

Victory puts Barcelona top of Group B on nine points, with Inter on six. PSV and Tottenham, who drew 2-2 in Eindhoven earlier on Wednesday, have one point each.