Barcelona secured their third consecutive win in the Champions League group stage with a tense 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. The result of the match played at the Olympic Stadium, places the Catalans in the position of reaching the knockout stages of the competition. Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez made only three changes from the squad that recently defeated Athletic Club. The tactical adjustment saw Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso, and Lamine Yamal replacing Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde, and Gavi.
Ferran Torres after his goal – credit – Fabrizio Romano on X Despite the changes, Ferran Torres retained his spot in the lineup and played a vital role in the match. Torres opened the scoring in the 30th minute, capitalizing on Fermin Lopez’s ball that hit the woodwork, leaving Torres with an easy tap-in. Although the goal was initially ruled offside, but a check by VAR corrected the decision, awarding Barcelona the goal. Moments later, Torres set up Lopez who extended the lead to 2-0 with a long-range strike, marking his first Champions League goal on his debut start in the competition. Despite Barcelona’s initial comfort, Shakhtar Donetsk pulled one back on the 62nd minute through Georgiy Sudakov. Nonetheless, Barcelona held their ground, picking all three points, and maintaining their position at the top of Group H.