FC Barcelona roared back to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League League Phase on Tuesday with a commanding 6-1 victory over Olympiacos at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
The dominant win, which significantly boosts their standing in the new league format, was spearheaded by a sensational hat-trick from midfielder Fermín López, who confirmed his arrival on the continental stage.
López opened the scoring early in the 7th minute and doubled the lead in the 39th, sending the Catalan side into the break with a comfortable 2-0 advantage. The match briefly turned into a contest after the interval when Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi converted a penalty in the 54th minute, momentarily cutting the deficit.
However, the visitors’ hopes were quickly extinguished following an incident that saw them reduced to ten men, which was immediately followed by a Barcelona penalty, dispatched by Lamine Yamal (68′).
The floodgates then opened in the final 15 minutes. López completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute, before substitute Marcus Rashford quickly added a brace (79′, 82′) to seal the comprehensive victory.
Speaking before the game, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had acknowledged the challenge, stating: “Olympiacos have some really good attacking players. They are very good offensively and we have to be attentive to their attackers.”
Match-winner López had also expressed his determination: “It will be a really hard game, it’s the Champions League. We lost the last game [against Paris], so now we have to win. A very nice week is coming up, with two important matches. I’ll try to help the team.”
The result provides a significant confidence boost for Barça ahead of a crucial domestic fixture this weekend, while Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar’s pre-match assertion that “Everyone knows our style of play, and that’s not going to change,” proved insufficient against the Catalan giants’ attacking prowess.