Barcelona earned a 2-1 victory at home against Shakhtar Donetsk in their Champions League Group H match on Wednesday night, with goals from Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez in the first half.
Despite missing key players due to injuries and suspensions, Barcelona dominated the game from the beginning. They took the lead in the 28th minute when Lopez’s strike hit the right post and Torres scored from the rebound with a powerful volley. A VAR check confirmed that Lopez was onside when he struck the ball.
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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez called up eight academy players, including Lopez, who is becoming a regular in the first team. This was a significant win for Barcelona, as they were missing several key players like Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Sergi Roberto, Frenkie de Jong, Jules Koundé, and Pedri, and midfielder Gavi was suspended for a red-card in their previous match against FC Porto.
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Lopez caused trouble for Shakhtar throughout the game and extended Barcelona’s lead in the 36th minute with a powerful shot that hit the left post and went into the net. Despite having several chances to increase their lead, Barcelona missed those opportunities. Lopez hit the post twice more and had two goals disallowed by VAR for tight offsides.
Shakhtar’s Georgiy Sudakov scored a tidy finish from a counterattack in the 62nd minute to narrow the deficit, but Barcelona held on and secured their third consecutive victory despite late pressure.
“It was a hard-fought victory in a difficult match. It was tough for us. I’m happy that we won and that I contributed with a goal,” said man of the match Lopez in an interview with Movistar Plus.
“Xavi told us that winning today would be crucial to get closer to securing a place in the knockout stage. We had to endure some challenges, but we managed to get the three points.”
Barcelona is currently at the top of Group H with nine points, six ahead of Porto. Porto has a game in hand and will face the bottom side Antwerp, who is yet to earn a point. Shakhtar is in third place with three points.
Next, Barcelona will host their rivals Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the LaLiga season on Saturday.
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