Barcelona Escaped Blip in Prague, Keep Top Eight Hopes Alive
On a bitterly cold evening in Prague, Barcelona overcame Slavia Prague 4-2 in a thrilling Champions League encounter that saw the Catalan giants maintain their hopes of securing a top-eight finish in the league phase. The win on Wednesday lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a direct qualification spot.
Initially, Slavia stunned visitors with an early lead courtesy of Tomas Holes' cleverly worked corner that saw Vasil Kusej bundle the ball across the line under pressure from Frenkie de Jong. However, Barcelona quickly responded through Fermin Lopez's sharp-angled strike in the 34th minute, which squeezed past keeper Jindrich Stanek at the near post after a faint deflection off the Slovak's shoulder.
Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the lead in the 42nd minute with precision, leaving Stanek no chance. But their advantage was short-lived as Slavia equalised just two minutes later due to an unfortunate defensive mishap that saw Lewandowski inadvertently deflect the ball into his own net.
The teams went into half-time level at 2-2, but Barcelona regained control of the game in the second half, relentlessly attacking Slavia's defence. Raphinha, Pedri, and Lopez all squandered good opportunities before Dani Olmo produced a moment of magic with an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box into the top corner in the 64th minute.
Olmo restored Barcelona's lead in emphatic style, but 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 that Lewandowski reacted to quickly poke past Stanek, giving Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
Lopez reflected on the win, saying it was tough but they managed to come back from behind. He also acknowledged that securing a top-eight finish was important and noted that their clean sheet was difficult to keep but ultimately good enough to secure the victory.
On a bitterly cold evening in Prague, Barcelona overcame Slavia Prague 4-2 in a thrilling Champions League encounter that saw the Catalan giants maintain their hopes of securing a top-eight finish in the league phase. The win on Wednesday lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a direct qualification spot.
Initially, Slavia stunned visitors with an early lead courtesy of Tomas Holes' cleverly worked corner that saw Vasil Kusej bundle the ball across the line under pressure from Frenkie de Jong. However, Barcelona quickly responded through Fermin Lopez's sharp-angled strike in the 34th minute, which squeezed past keeper Jindrich Stanek at the near post after a faint deflection off the Slovak's shoulder.
Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the lead in the 42nd minute with precision, leaving Stanek no chance. But their advantage was short-lived as Slavia equalised just two minutes later due to an unfortunate defensive mishap that saw Lewandowski inadvertently deflect the ball into his own net.
The teams went into half-time level at 2-2, but Barcelona regained control of the game in the second half, relentlessly attacking Slavia's defence. Raphinha, Pedri, and Lopez all squandered good opportunities before Dani Olmo produced a moment of magic with an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box into the top corner in the 64th minute.
Olmo restored Barcelona's lead in emphatic style, but 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 that Lewandowski reacted to quickly poke past Stanek, giving Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
Lopez reflected on the win, saying it was tough but they managed to come back from behind. He also acknowledged that securing a top-eight finish was important and noted that their clean sheet was difficult to keep but ultimately good enough to secure the victory.
, they were gettin crushed 4-2 down at one point lol what a comeback tho!! 
Fermin Lopez is literally my new favorite player he's got skills 
and Dani Olmo's goal in the 64th min was like a work of art perfection personified 
i'm low-key hyped for barcelona now, top eight hopes are still alive lol let's do this 
so its like barca needs 2 top8 spots nd they got only 1 game left they came back from 2-0 down 2 be 4-2 win over slavia 
lol fermin lopez is like the savior 
whats the point of watching them play if theyre just gonna concede left and right? 
and that slavia prague team is like the underdog story of the season 
but honestly id rather watch somethin with a bit more substance, not just a bunch of guys kickin a ball around 
They were down, but they never gave up! 
That second half was insane! Olmo's goal was SO EPIC!!! 
He's a total pro! 
I love how Barcelona came back from behind and showed everyone what they're capable of. 
Fingers crossed!!! 
! Lewandowski atoning for his own goal is a total testament to the team's strength 
? and Lopez is literally a goal machine right now 
13 points with one game left, this could get interesting