The Catalans continued their winning streak in the Champions League.
Barcelona defeated Shakhtar Donetsk in their Champions League game on Wednesday. A narrow home win saw the Catalans claim their third consecutive victory in the group stage.
What happened?
Barcelona established their dominance over the game early on, putting the visitors under immense pressure. But they had to wait until the 28th minute to finally break the deadlock.
Fermin Lopez’s shot was deflected off the post before Ferran Torres smashed it into the back of the net. The goal was initially disallowed, but a quick VAR check revealed the Spaniard wasn’t offside.
Torres then provided the assist for Barca’s second goal only eight minutes later. This time, he found Fermin, who latched onto the ball after a brilliant run past Shakhtar’s backline. The youngster then made it 2-0 with a stunning shot into the top corner of the net.
Barca struggled to find their feet in the game after the break, while Shakhtar managed to pull one back through Heorhiy Sudakov in the 62nd minute. The Catalans, however, managed to hold onto their lead as they didn’t allow their Ukrainian opponents to make any more shots on target until the final whistle.
Barca vs Shakthar Donetsk: Man of the Match
Ferran Torres made another impressive display for Barca as they defeated Shakthar on home soil. The Spain international registered a goal and an assist while putting constant pressure on Shakhtar’s backline with his quick runs.
Player Ratings
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (6); Cancelo (7), Araújo (7), I. Martínez (6), M. Alonso (6); F. López (7), Romeu (7), Gündogan (7); Yamal (7), F. Torres (8), Félix (6).
Bench: Balde (7), Guiu (6), Christensen (6), Casado (6).
Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk (7); Konoplia (7), Bondar (5), Matviyenko (6), Azarov (6); Bondarenko (7), Stepanenko (7), Sudakov (7); Zubkov (6), Sikan (6), Krysvik (5).
Bench: Palmares (6), Kelsy (5), Eguinaldo (-).
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