BARCELONA: Barcelona continued their perfect start in the Champions League and warmed up for the Clasico at the weekend with a 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Spanish champions held off their Ukrainian visitors to take their third win from three games and put one foot into the knock-out stages after failing to progress in the past two seasons.Ferran Torres opened the scoring for Barca with 20-year-old midfielder Fermin Lopez smashing home the second from the edge of the box.
Heorhiy Sudakov pulled one back for Shakhtar after a Barca defensive lapse, creating a nervy finale for the hosts, but they held on to the three points. SPONSORED CONTENT Daily Express members: Enjoy 1 for 1 signature cocktails and more at Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu: DAILY EXPRESS is partnering with Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu to offer an exclusive deal for our members. Read more After 17-year-old debutant Marc Guiu struck the winner against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, Lopez’s display meant it was another fine night for Barcelona’s La Masia talent factory.“His attitude is amazing, he wants to learn, he wants to improve.” The coach said Lopez could be the latest in a long line of talents to break through and hold down a place in the team.“I’m really happy about Fermin’s performance, he can be a significant player for us and play for many years,” added Xavi.“You never expect this but I’ve been working for it all my life and I’m grateful to Xavi and the club for the chance they’ve given me, I have to keep working,” he told Movistar.Joao Felix went off hurt in the final stages, with another injury the last thing Barca need, but he said on Instagram that he was fine for the Clasico.Barcelona were already without several key players, including Robert Lewandowski, leading Xavi to deploy winger Torres in the middle of the attack. The former Manchester City player said he was ready to step up a level in an important week for the club, with Real Madrid visiting on Saturday. He started brightly and hammered home before the half-hour mark after Ilkay Gundogan sweetly teed up Lopez, whose effort came back off the upright. Lopez, who made his debut in August, rescued Barcelona a draw earlier this season at Real Mallorca and staked his claim for a start against Madrid with his best performance to date, in for the suspended Gavi. Dmytro Riznyk had saved well from the midfielder early on but could do nothing about his goal, a cannonball strike, in off the post to shore up Barca’s position. However a defensive lapse set the hosts back. Joao Cancelo was out of position and Oriol Romeu was left in the dust by Sudakov, who finished well at the near post.Last season the defence was their strong point as they won the Spanish title but this year they have been far less stable. Lopez hit the post with another long-range effort and then had a header ruled out for offside as he continued his all-action display. Weathering some pressure, Barcelona took the points as supporters in the stands turned their attention to the impending Clasico. Shakhtar are third, provisionally level with second-placed Porto on three points, who visit bottom side Antwerp later, while Barcelona lead with nine. Shakhtar’s new Croatian coach Marino Pusic, appointed on Tuesday, said he was proud of his team’s battling display. “It’s not such an easy game when you play Barcelona away, hectic! One colleague said to me, ‘I know you for one day but I have the feeling I’ve know you for three years’,” said Pusic. “I’m tremendously proud of all my players today, these guys showed up tonight to compete with Barcelona, one of the best teams in Europe.”* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Barca’s Torres and Lopez on target in 2-1 win over ShakhtarBarcelona dominated from the start despite missing several key players.
Read more »
Lopez runs show as Barca beat Shakhtar to keep perfect recordBARCELONA, Oct 26 — Barcelona continued their perfect start in the Champions League and warmed up for the Clasico at the weekend with a 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on...
Read more »
Xavi critical of Barca spokesman’s post attacking ViniciusBARCELONA, Oct 26 — Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said he did not like a social media post from a club spokesman dismissing racist abuse of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior...
Read more »
Haaland bags brace as Man City extend perfect Champions League startBERN: Erling Haaland ended his Champions League goal drought as Manchester City extended their perfect start to the tournament with a 3-1 win at Swiss...
Read more »
Lopez runs show as Barca beat Shakhtar to keep perfect recordBARCELONA: Barcelona continued their perfect start in the Champions League and warmed up for the Clasico at the weekend with a 2-1 win over Shakhtar D...
Read more »
Barcelona forced to lean on youth in Madrid Clasico battleBARCELONA: La Liga champions Barcelona host bitter rivals Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season on Saturday, forced into leaning heavily on p...
Read more »