Ferran Torres shines as Barca beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1

• FC Barcelona secured a third consecutive win in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at Estadio Olimpico
• Barcelona, who last won the UEFA Champions League in 2015, are top of Group H with nine points

FC Barcelona secured a third consecutive win in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at Estadio Olimpico. The Catalans have extended their unbeaten start to the season to 13 matches (W10, D3).

Ferran Torres opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 28th minute with a rebound after Fermin Lopez’s shot hit the post. The Spanish attacker then assisted Lopez’s goal a few minutes later. Lopez, who is Barca’s academy graduate, could be the next game-changing talent for Xavi Hernandez’s side.

Fermin Lopez celebrates after scoring for Barca in the Champions League. Photo/ Pundit Feed.

Heorhii Sudakov pulled one back for the visitors in the second half but it was just a consolation as Barca maintained their narrow lead until the end of the match.

“9 points out of nine is very good, very positive. We haven’t qualified yet but it was a very important step forward. We feel very good about this. Now we need to recover, rest, disconnect and enjoy this win, a vital one for us, they’re three very, very useful points for us in the Champions League. It was a game that they thought we would win easily, but we were up against a very tough opponent as you all saw.” Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said after the victory, as per Barcelona’s official website.

Barcelona, who last won the UEFA Champions League in 2015, are top of Group H with nine points. On the other hand, Shakhtar are third with six points behind the La Liga giants.

In another Group H fixture FC Porto thrashed Royal Antwerp 4-1, with Evanilson scoring a hat-trick in the match. Porto are second in the group with six points whereas Royal Antwerp are rock-bottom with zero points in three matches.

How Barcelona Beat Shakhtar Donetsk

Having secured a comeback win against Royal Antwerp on matchday two, Shakhtar Donetsk travelled to Barcelona knowing they needed to impress to beat the La Liga giants. It was the hosts who started on a high note, as Fermin Lopez saw an early effort thwarted by the foot of Dmytro Riznyk.

Barca continued to probe for a breakthrough as the first half progressed and things went their way in the 28th minute when Ferran Torres opened the scoring. The former Manchester City forward was in the right place at the right time as he pounced on a rebound after Fermin Lopez rattled the post from close range.

Barcelona beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1. Photo/ Sportstar – The Hindu.

With momentum on their side, Barcelona doubled their advantage eight minutes later through the influential Lopez. The youngster skipped past a challenge on the edge of the b ox before firing a rasping drive into the top corner.

Shakhtar Donetsk came with a renewed focus after the break and pulled a goal in the 62nd minute, Heorhiy Sudakov finishing brilliantly from Irakli Azarovi’s pass.