Barcelona avoid blip in Prague to maintain Champions League top eight hope

Barcelona travel from down to bushed Slavia Prague 4-2 to support their hopes of a apical 8 decorativeness successful the league phase.

Barcelona came from down to decision Slavia Prague 4-2 connected a freezing nighttime successful the Champions League, with Fermin Lopez scoring doubly and Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski adding second-half goals to unafraid the victory.

The triumph connected Wednesday lifts Barcelona to ninth spot successful the standings with 1 crippled ⁠remaining connected 13 points, level with 7 different teams vying for a top-eight decorativeness and nonstop qualification for the circular ​of 16. Slavia languish 3rd from bottommost with conscionable 3 points.

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On a bitterly acold evening successful ‍Prague, with temperatures dropping to -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit), Slavia stunned the visitors with an aboriginal lead.

A cleverly worked country successful the 10th infinitesimal saw Tomas Holes flick a transportation from the adjacent to the acold post, wherever Vasil Kusej bundled the shot crossed the enactment ‍under unit from ⁠Frenkie de Jong.

Barcelona levelled successful the 34th infinitesimal done Lopez, who unleashed a sharp, angled onslaught from wrong the box, squeezing the shot past keeper Jindrich Stanek astatine the adjacent station aft a faint deflection disconnected the Slovak’s shoulder.

Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the pb successful the 42nd infinitesimal with a good effort from the borderline of the box. The attacking midfielder recovered the bottommost close country with precision, leaving Stanek nary chance.

Barca’s vantage lasted conscionable 2 minutes arsenic an unfortunate antiaircraft mishap saw Slavia equalise. ​Under unit defending a corner, Lewandowski inadvertently deflected the shot disconnected his enarthrosis and into ‌his ain nett to nonstop the teams into half-time level astatine 2-2.

After regrouping astatine the break, Barcelona took power of the crippled successful the 2nd half, relentlessly attacking Slavia’s defence.

Raphinha, Pedri and Lopez each squandered bully opportunities earlier substitute Olmo produced a infinitesimal of magic. In ‌the 64th minute, helium hammered an unstoppable onslaught from the borderline of the container into the apical corner, restoring Barcelona’s pb successful emphatic style.

Lewandowski atoned for his earlier ain ‌goal by sealing the triumph successful the 70th minute.

Marcus Rashford – different second-half ⁠substitute – went connected a blistering tally down the near flank and delivered a transverse into the box. Although Lewandowski initially struggled to power the pass, helium reacted rapidly to poke the shot past Stanek and springiness Barcelona a two-goal cushion.

“We knew it would beryllium a hard lucifer with ‌the acold weather, they’ve enactment a batch of unit connected us, it was pugnacious … My feet and hands hurt, tin hardly consciousness them … It was tough, but we managed to travel backmost and win,” Lopez told Movistar Plus.

“We were alert ‍that extremity quality was thing important. Looking to unafraid a top-eight finish, we wanted to support a cleanable sheet, but it was difficult. Good happening we managed to play good and got the win.”