Slavia Praha vs Barcelona: Fermin Lopez shines as Blaugrana survive set-piece frailties

Barcelona's defensive frailties were laid to bare, conceding two set piece goals against a Slavia Praha side with no goal in their last four matches in the competition. However, their superior quality shone through as they claimed a 4-2 victory.

Slavia Prague stunned the crowd early, taking the lead in the 10th minute when Vasil Kusej met a corner with a close-range finish to make it 1–0. 

Barcelona responded with increasing control, and their pressure brought rewards before the break. Fermín López levelled in the 34th minute, finishing powerfully from outside the box after clever build-up play. Just eight minutes later, López struck again, capitalising on space to fire Barcelona in front 2–1 heading into half-time.  

Slavia refused to relent and drew level just before the interval when Barcelona defender Robert Lewandowski turned the ball into his own net under pressure, making it 2–2 at the break. 

The second half saw Barcelona regain control. In the 63rd minute, Dani Olmo restored the lead with an audacious finish after a swift attacking move opened up space in the Slavia defence. Then, Robert Lewandowski added Barcelona’s fourth in the 70th minute, an improvised finish after a Marcus Rashford cross, to make it 4–2 and put the result beyond doubt.