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

by | Jan 21, 2026 | World

Barcelona come from behind to beat Slavia Prague 4-2 to maintain their hopes of a top eight finish in the league phase.Published On 21 Jan 202621 Jan 2026Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareBarcelona came from behind to defeat Slavia Prague 4-2 on a freezing night in the Champions League, with Fermin Lopez scoring twice and Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski adding second-half goals to secure the victory.The win on Wednesday lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game ⁠remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the round ​of 16. Slavia languish third from bottom with just three points.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listOn a bitterly cold evening in ‍Prague, with temperatures dropping to -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit), Slavia stunned the visitors with an early lead.A cleverly worked corner in the 10th minute saw Tomas Holes flick a delivery from the near to the far post, where Vasil Kusej bundled the ball across the line ‍under pressure from ⁠Frenkie de Jong.Barcelona levelled in the 34th minute through Lopez, who unleashed a sharp, angled strike from inside the box, squeezing the ball past keeper Jindrich Stanek at the near post after a faint deflection off the Slovak’s shoulder.Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the lead in the 42nd minute with a fine effort from the edge of the box. The attacking midfielder found the bottom right corner with precision, leaving Stanek no chance.Barca’s advantage lasted just two minutes as an unfortunate defensive mishap saw Slavia equalise. ​Under pressure defending a corner, Lewandowski inadvertently deflected the ball off his shoulder and into ‌his own net to send the teams into half-time level at 2-2. Advertisement After regrouping at the break, Barcelona took control of the game in the second half, relentlessly attacking Slavia’s defence.Raphinha, Pedri and Lopez all squandered good opportunities before substitute Olmo produced a moment of magic. In ‌the 64th minute, he hammered an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box into the top corner, restoring Barcelona’s lead in emphatic style.Lewandowski atoned for his earlier own ‌goal by sealing the victory in the 70th minute.Marcus Rashford – another second-half ⁠substitute – went on a blistering run down the left flank and delivered a cross into the box. Although Lewandowski initially struggled to control the pass, he reacted quickly to poke the ball past Stanek and give Barcelona a two-goal cushion.“We knew it would be a difficult match with ‌the cold weather, t …

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