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Barcelona sealed a 2-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (October 25) with Fermin Lopez playing a starring role.
The Blaugrana were made to work for their victory by a dogged display from Darijo Srna's men at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. However, they flexed their muscles in the first half with a fine attacking display.
Ferran Torres gave Barcelona the lead in the 28th minute after Fermin Lopez rattled the far post with a powerful effort. His Spanish teammate reacted quickly to fire in an opener.
Fermin Lopez then came to the fore eight minutes later with a fine finish. The 20-year-old drove to the edge of Shakhtar's box before firing past Ukrainian goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk. It was the La Masia academy graduate's second goal for the senior team.
Barcelona looked to have taken a 3-0 lead in the 59th minute when Torres had the ball in the back of the net. However, he was denied a brace by the offside flag much to his frustration.
Shakhtar then got themselves back in the game when Ukrainian midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov finished off a superb counter-attack in the 62nd minute. Georgian left-back Irakli Azarovi did well to find his teammate from the left flank and the ball was buried past Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Xavi's men held on to continue their perfect start to their Champions League campaign. They sit top of Group H with three wins from three games.
The Blaugrana's attention turns to Sunday's clash with rivals Real Madrid. One fan was buoyed by the performance of Barca tonight ahead of El Clasico:
"I like the view of that table. Get in there boys. Bring on Madrid."
Another fan praised Lopez for his fine display:
"Fermin Lopez is the future."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Barcelona's win over the Ukrainian side:
Fermin Lopez eyes scoring a goal for Barcelona in the El Clasico against Real Madrid
Fermin Lopez was a standout performer for Barcelona tonight and put in a performance that will enthuse Xavi ahead of the El Clasico. The Blaugrana youngster has made a brilliant start to the season.
The Spanish midfielder made three key passes, won six of 10 ground duels, and hit the woodwork twice along with his goal and assist. He was asked if he wants to continue his scoring spree against Madrid this weekend (via BarcaUniversal):
"Scoring against Real Madrid? I will try to help the team and if it is with a goal, then much better."
Lopez made his debut for Barca's senior team in a 4-3 win against Villarreal on August 27. He has since scored two goals and provided one assist in eight games across competitions.
