Barcelona came from behind to defeat Slavia Prague 4-2 on a freezing ​night in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Fermin Lopez scoring twice and Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski adding second-half goals to secure the victory.
The win lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the round of 16. Slavia languish third from bottom with just three points.
On a bitterly cold evening in Prague, with temperatures dropping to minus eight Celsius, Slavia stunned ‌the visitors with ‌an early lead.
A cleverly worked corner in the 10th ‌minute ⁠saw ​Tomas Holes ‌flick a delivery from the near to the far post, where Vasil Kusej bundled the ball across the line under pressure from Frenkie de Jong.
Barcelona levelled in the 34th minute through Lopez, who unleashed a sharp, angled strike from inside the box, squeezing the ball past keeper Jindrich Stanek at the near post after a faint deflection off the Slovakian’s shoulder.
Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the lead in the 42nd minute with ⁠a fine effort from the edge of the box. The attacking midfielder found the bottom right corner with precision, ‌leaving Stanek no chance.
Barca’s advantage lasted just two minutes ‍as an unfortunate defensive mishap saw ‍Slavia equalize. Under pressure defending a corner, Lewandowski inadvertently deflected the ball off his ‍shoulder and into his own net to send the teams into halftime level at 2-2.
After regrouping at the break, Barcelona took control of the game in the second half, relentlessly attacking Slavia’s defense.
Raphinha, Pedri and Lopez all squandered good opportunities before substitute Olmo produced a moment ​of magic. In the 64th minute, he hammered an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box into the top corner, restoring Barcelona’s lead ⁠in emphatic style.
Lewandowski atoned for his earlier own goal by sealing the victory in the 70th minute.
Marcus Rashford — another second-half substitute — went on a blistering run down the left flank and delivered a cross into the box. Although Lewandowski initially struggled to control the pass, he reacted quickly to poke the ball past Stanek and give Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
“We knew it would be a difficult match with the cold weather, they’ve put a lot of pressure on us, it was tough... my feet and hands hurt, can barely feel them... It was tough, but we managed to come back and win,” Lopez told Movistar Plus.
“We were aware that goal difference was something important looking to secure a ‌top-eight finish, we wanted to keep a clean sheet but it was difficult. Good thing we managed to play well and got the win.”