Barca won thanks to the 20-year-old midfielder.

Spanish midfielder Fermin Lopez, 20 years old, scored and assisted a goal to help Barca beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in the third matchday of Group H of the Champions League.

Another Barca win thanks to young players, following Lamine Yamal, Marc Guiu, and Lopez. The 20-year-old midfielder, playing in the attacking midfield position, contributed to two goals for his team. These young talents shining in the first team are showing that coach Xavi Hernandez is right to rely on products of the La Masia academy.

Forward Ferran Torres celebrates the opening goal in Barcelona's victory over Shakhtar in the Champions League group stage at Camp Nou on October 25, 2023. Photo: EFE

Xavi had to use young players due to injuries to many key players, but in the case of striker Robert Lewandowski, his replacement was Ferran Torres. The 23-year-old striker, a product of Valencia's academy, joined Barca in January 2022 after an unsuccessful spell at Man City.

Torres opened the scoring in the 28th minute, after Ilkay Gundogan crossed the ball into the penalty area for Lopez to break free and shoot, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out. He rushed in to tap the rebound into the net, then pulled up his shirt to celebrate, revealing a message inside for his grandmother. However, Torres was wearing a dark red shirt underneath, making the black writing difficult to read.

Eight minutes later, Lopez was luckier with a shot from the edge of the penalty area following a pass from Torres. This time the 20-year-old midfielder hit the post, but still found the net. This was Lopez's first Champions League goal, and his second in eight appearances for the Barca first team. The midfielder could have scored again in the second half, but his shot hit the post once more and went wide.

Coach Xavi seemed happier with Lopez's goal than with Torres', raising both hands in celebration with his younger brother and assistant, Oscar Hernandez. A few minutes earlier, Oscar had called Lopez aside to give him some instructions. The expressions on the faces of the Xavi brothers as they celebrated the goal suggested they had just made the right decision.

Fermin Lopez during Barcelona's victory over Shakhtar in the Champions League group stage at Camp Nou on October 25, 2023. Photo: Marca

However, Xavi struggled in the second half, as the home side failed to maintain the dominance they had shown in the first. They allowed Shakhtar to fight back and pull one back in the 62nd minute from a counter-attack. Left-back Irakli Azarovi made a clever through pass to 21-year-old midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov, who raced into the penalty area and fired a one-touch shot into the near corner. After the net, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen yelled at midfielder Oriol Romeu for not closely marking Sudakov in that situation.

Barca were forced to slow down the pace of the game to stop Shakhtar's momentum. The home team held possession for 54% of the time, but this increased to 60% after conceding the goal. This strategy helped the home team secure three points, maintaining their three-match winning streak in Group H.

This also serves as the perfect warm-up for Xavi's team to face Real Madrid in La Liga on October 28th. Perhaps in that match, another talent from La Masia will emerge into the spotlight.

Hoang An

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/barca-thang-nho-tien-ve-20-tuoi-4669188.html