FC Barcelona completed a rout against Olympiacos (6-1) thanks to the inspiration of Fermín López and the mistakes of a Greek team decimated by an early injury and a sending-off in the second half. The player from Huelva was the MVP of the match with a 'hat-trick' that allows the Blaugrana team to readjust in the general classification of the league.
Hansi Flick returned the '16' to the lineup as an attacking midfielder, and the player from Huelva responded with a great match. Marcus Rashford also scored twice, while Lamine Yamal converted his second penalty of the season.
A perfect night for the Barça fans, before the Clásico against Real Madrid, where the team hopes to have Raphinha back and to have Ferran Torres at his physical peak.
Fermín López's double gave Barça peace of mind before the break
Barça once again showed insecurity in the back, and could have conceded after just 19 seconds. After a poor pass from Alejandro Balde, Podence settled himself to unleash a shot from the edge of the area, forcing Szczesny to stretch. The Pole prevented his goal from falling with a great save, but also committed a couple of errors in distribution that could have cost the 'culés' dearly.
Luckily for the Catalans, Fermín López managed to open the scoring very early, when only 7 minutes had passed. The player from Huelva took advantage of a long rebound from goalkeeper Tzolakis after a clear chance by Lamine Yamal to finish into an empty net a play that he and Balde had started.
Then, in the 39th minute, Fermín once again finished with authority against the Greek goalkeeper, taking advantage of a good through ball from Dro Fernández after a timely steal by Pedri. The 17-year-old academy player completed a very good first half, while the player from Huelva assumed the offensive weight of the team with a historic brace.
Olympiacos, on the other hand, suffered a harsh punishment before halftime, although José Luis Mendilibar's team played a fairly decent defensive game. To make matters worse, the Greeks lost Chiquinho to injury after half an hour of play.
An Eric García penalty brought Olympiacos back into the game
Barça went into halftime with the victory seemingly in their pocket, but a handball penalty by Eric García brought the Piraeus team back into the game. The penalty was awarded thanks to VAR in a strange play preceded by a header goal from Ayoub El Kaabi.
Although Olympiacos had scored after Eric's handball, Podence was offside. Therefore, it was decided to penalize the previous handball and award the penalty. El Kaabi himself took charge of the penalty kick, beating Szczesny with a precise finish.
The Greeks perked up, trying to achieve a tie that had seemed unthinkable until then, but a hand from Santiago Hezze on Marc Casadó left Mendilivar's team with ten in the 57th minute. From then on, there was only one team on the field, and Barça took advantage of the numerical superiority to crush their opponent.
Lamine, Rashford, and Fermín Rounded Out the Barça Rout
Beyond Hezze's expulsion, the blow that definitively sent them reeling was Tzolakis's penalty on Rashford in the 65th minute. The Swiss referee Urs Schnyder initially didn't call the foul, but VAR made him change his mind. Lamine Yamal took charge of the penalty, making it 3-1 in the 67th minute.
The last 20 minutes were a total feast for Barça. Rashford scored twice, taking advantage of the spaces on the left side after Hezze's expulsion, and Fermín López completed his 'hat-trick' in the 76th minute, thanks to a remarkable assist from the recently entered Roony Bardghji.
In the final stretch, Hansi Flick took the opportunity to give Lamine, Pedri, Balde, and Koundé a rest. It was a perfect afternoon for the Culés, who regain confidence with a thrashing before the Clásico, which is also key to climbing positions in the general classification of the Champions League group stage. Now, the Azulgrana team has 6 points and a +5 goal difference.
Match Stats: FC Barcelona 6-1 Olympiacos
- FC Barcelona, 6: Szczesny; Koundé (Araujo, min. 75), Eric, Cubarsí, Balde (Gerard Martín, min. 75); Casadó, Pedri (Bernal, min. 80); Lamine Yamal (Roony, min. 75), Dro Fernández (De Jong, min. 60), Fermín; Rashford.
- Olympiacos, 1: Tzolakis; Costinha, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega (Onyemaechi, min. 52); Hezze, Dani García; Gelson Martins (Mouzakitis, min. 46), Chiquinho (Nascimento, min. 30), Podence (Yaremchuk, min. 76); El Kaabi (Taremi, min. 76).
- Goals: 1-0, Fermín López (min. 7); 2-0, Fermín López (min. 39); 2-1, Ayoub El Kaabi (min. 53, p.); 3-1, Lamine Yamal (min. 68, p.); 4-1, Marcus Rashford (min. 74); 5-1, Fermín López (min. 76); Marcus Rashford (min. 79)
- Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland). Booked Santiago Hezze, Dani García and Daniel Podence for Olympiacos. He also sent off Santiago Hezze for a second yellow card in the second half. He whistled a handball penalty by Eric García after a VAR review. For Barça, he cautioned Alejandro Balde. He sanctioned a penalty by goalkeeper Tzolakis on Marcus Rashford, also after reviewing the action on the monitor.
- Stadium: Olímpico Lluís Companys de Montjuïc.
- Incidents: match corresponding to the third matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26.