FC Barcelona 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: Youngsters shine for Catalans as Barcelona maintain perfect record in UEFA Champions League

FC Barcelona has registered their third consecutive victory in the coveted UEFA Champions League as they edged past a spirited Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1, with Ferran Torres and youngster Fermin Lopez on target for the defending La Liga champions.

A high-octane clash

FC Barcelona and Shakhtar had locked horns after coming on the back of inspiring victories in their respective leagues, as for the Catalan giants, La Masia prodigy Marc Guiu stole the limelight in their weekend matchup against Athletic Bilbao, where Shakhtar had defeated LNZ in their weekend fixtures. With a strong show in their last fixtures, the face-off between the two sides had promised to be a mouth-watering encounter.

With Barca reigning supreme in their group stage in the Champions League, having won all of their previous two fixtures against Royal Antwerp and FC Porto, the clash against Shakhtar was decided to be a test for the injury ravaged Barca side which is plagued by the absence of several top stars in the form of Lewandowski, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri among others. Xavi had looked upon the club academy La Masia which has been the powerhouse of talents over last decades, calling upon several young wizards who had the capability to be a pivot in any situation of the game. The former Barca midfield maestro Xavi had been rewarded with the excellence of Marc Guiu over the weekend, as the 17-year old star scored a flashing winner after minutes of his debut, thus helping the Catalans to maintain their unbeaten streak.

Thus Xavi had decided to bank upon his youngsters like Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez who had started the game, as the forward line-up was thronged with Ferran, Lamine and Felix. The defensive set-up comprised the seasoned Cancelo, who has been one of the breakthrough stars for the La Liga giants, along with Araujo, Inigo Martinez and Alonso, with the midfield posing a more experienced Gundogan, Romeu and youngster Fermin Lopez.

For Shakhtar, they have gone with a midfield-heavy approach, with a sloe striker in the form of Sikan, as they had gone with a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Ferran draws the first blood

Ferran Torres has been one of the stars to look out for Barcelona this season. Nicknames “The Shark”, the former Manchester City winger has been on top form this season, as his glazing stats from the beginning of this season has been eye-catching. He has been clutch till now, and has proved to be essential in the Barca ranks whenever Xavi had summoned him. Last night, he has repaid Xavi’s trust when he scored the opener for the defending Spanish champions.

Barcelona had started the game on a dominant mode, banking on the support from the home fans at Estadi Olimpic, as they were often seen to assert their dominance over the Ukrainians. As the clock struck 28 minutes, Xavi’s men had decided to pounce on their opponents as former Manchester City man Gundogan, who had celebrated his birthday a day before, was instrumental in providing a classy chip to La Masia prodigy Fermin, who was swarming the penalty area. But his thunderous shot struck the crossbar as Torres cunningly hit the shot straight into the goal after Fermin’s rebound, thus continuing his breakthrough season on a sweet note, once again, as Barca found themselves on lead, once more.

Ferran was seen dedicating his goal to his grandmother as his celebrations for giving his team the lead continued.

Fermin scores, doubles the lead

Fermin Lopez- a star from La Masia, who is widely regarded as one of the potential successors to a famous throng of stars who have blasted into the spotlight after scoring bangers for the senior team after a meteoric rise through the ranks of academy, once again showed his mettle last night when he was awarded the MVP of the match after 90 minutes. He had proved his class in one of the pre-season friendlies against Real Madrid when the two arch-rivals met each other on the American soil, thus announcing his arrival in a grand fashion. Last night, he proved himself big once again on the European stage as he was instrumental in Barcelona’s victory.

The roles got reversed for the Catalan forwards as Ferran turned provider for Fermin’s goal, as the comprehensive duo were once again on the spotlight thus helping Barca achieve an unassailable lead of 2-0. Torres was keeping an eye for Fermin as he played a low pass to Fermin, as the 20-year old star grabbed hold of the ball, before hammering it to the near post, thus achieving a healthy cushion of two goals.

Barca’s one more youngster made the headlines last night when he was summoned by Xavi to play in the final few minutes, as Marc Casado replaced Fermin, thus showing the world the might of La Masia wonderkids, as these young wizards had come up big on several occasions in the absence of big names like Lewa and Frenkie De Jong.

Barca would prepare to face Real Madrid this weekend, with an injury ravaged side which added one more name to their list as Portuguese Joao Felix was seen hobbling off the field, as Xavi would once again bank on his youngsters to outclass their opponents, showing their La Masia blood.