Spain 20-year-old midfielder Fermin Lopez scored and assisted to help Barca beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in the third round of Group H of the Champions League.
Another match won by Barca thanks to a young player, after Lamine Yamal, Marc Guiu and Lopez. The 20-year-old midfielder plays in the attacking midfield position, contributing to two goals for the home team. The young talents shining in the first team are showing that coach Xavi Hernandez is right to place emphasis on the products of La Masia.
Striker Ferran Torres celebrates scoring the opening goal in Barca's win over Shakhtar in the Champions League group stage at Camp Nou on the evening of October 25, 2023. Photo: EFE
Xavi had to use young players because many key players were injured, but in the case of striker Robert Lewandowski, the person who replaced him was Ferran Torres. The 23-year-old striker grew up in Valencia, joining Barca in January 2022 after an unsuccessful time at Man City.
Torres opened the scoring in the 28th minute, after Ilkay Gundogan crossed the ball into the penalty area for Lopez to run down and shoot, hitting the crossbar and bouncing off. He rushed in to score the rebound, then pulled up his shirt to celebrate and reveal the message inside to his grandmother. However, Torres was wearing a dark red shirt, making the black text difficult to read.
Eight minutes later, Lopez had more luck with a shot from the edge of the area from a Torres pass. This time the 20-year-old midfielder hit the post, but still found the back of the net. It was Lopez's first Champions League goal, and his second in eight appearances for Barca's first team. The midfielder could have added to his tally in the second half, but his shot hit the post again and went wide.
Coach Xavi seemed happier with Lopez's goal than Torres, raising his arms high and sharing the joy with his brother and assistant Oscar Hernandez. A few minutes earlier, Oscar himself had called Lopez aside to give him some instructions. The expressions of Xavi and Oscar as they celebrated the goal looked like they had just made the right decision.
Fermin Lopez during Barca's win over Shakhtar in the Champions League group stage at Camp Nou on the evening of October 25, 2023. Photo: Marca
However, Xavi struggled in the second half, as the home side could no longer maintain the dominance they had in the first half. They allowed Shakhtar to rise and pull one back in the 62nd minute, from a counter-attack. Left-back Irakli Azarovi cleverly passed the ball to 21-year-old midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov, who rushed into the penalty area and fired a one-touch shot into the near corner. After the net shook, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen shouted at midfielder Oriol Romeu for not keeping close to Sudakov in this situation.
Barca were forced to slow down the pace of the game to stop Shakhtar's momentum. The home side had 54% possession, but since conceding, that figure has risen to 60%. This plan helped the home side secure all three points, maintaining their three-match winning streak in Group H.
This is also the perfect warm-up for Xavi and his team to face Real Madrid in La Liga on October 28. Perhaps in that match, another talent from La Masia will come to light.
Hoang An
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