Fermín, always timely: key assist for Barça's victory in Santander

Fermín López was once again timely and decisive for FC Barcelona in their victory against Racing de Santander (0-2). The player from Huelva had a rest day in the round of 16 of the 2025/26 Copa del Rey, but Hansi Flick had to rely on his talent in the second half to break the deadlock in a very tough match from start to finish.

The Cantabrians put in a good defensive effort during the first half and a good part of the second to hold the zero for 66 minutes. However, **Fermín's substitution for Marc Bernal** in the 58th minute was key to breaking down the Cantabrian wall and unlocking a sluggish Barça at El Sardinero, which had relied too much on the talent of Lamine Yamal to create danger in the first hour of play

Fermín's assist paved the way for Barça's qualification

In the first play where he had time and space to elaborate, López threaded a pass into space that caught Ferran Torres well-positioned to finish. The 'Shark' outpaced his markers and, in the one-on-one against goalkeeper Ezkieta, dribbled past the '1' to finish into an empty net.

In the 32 minutes he was on the field, the '16' completed 24 of 28 passes (86%), one shot on goal, and 4 recoveries. **Dani Olmo** did not have his best night as an attacking midfielder, and the player from Huelva came on to give more depth and judgment to the Barça attack. Finally, with some struggle, Barça sealed the match with another goal from Lamine in stoppage time to advance to the Copa quarterfinals

In the post-match press conference, Hansi Flick acknowledged Fermín's contribution, this time as a substitute. "Not all players are like him, I like his attitude, his dynamism... He changes the dynamics of the game with his drive, with his passing... He also scores. He's always in the right position," argued the Barça coach.

Tenth assist of the season for Fermín López

For the 22-year-old midfielder, Thursday's was his tenth assist of the season, where the Huelva native also has **8 goals in 22 games (1,348 minutes)**. In his head-to-head battle for a starting spot with Dani Olmo, the Huelva player continues to take firm steps to remain in the lineup during the decisive stretch of the season.