With a spirited 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night, Barcelona, who is still undefeated this season, advanced significantly toward a berth in the Champions League knockout stages. The Blaugrana dominated the first half and had a clear opportunity to win, but they missed a few crucial ones, which let the visitors to level the score in the last minute. With three games left in the group, the Blaugrana are now just one point away from mathematical qualification despite having to endure in the end to secure the victory at home.
With regular center forward Robert Lewandowski already sidelined due to an ankle injury, Barcelona is severely lacking in forwards.
In the 28th minute, Torres scored the first goal on a rebound after Fermin Lopez had struck the crossbar.
Then, in the 36th minute, he received the ball on the turn and set up Lopez, who masterfully doubled Barca’s lead with a beautiful drive that went in off the post.
In the second half, Lopez also struck the woodwork and, in the 70th minute, had a header disallowed for offside that would have given his team a two-goal advantage again.
Shakhtar surprised their hosts by scoring on an infrequent burst upfield, but they never seemed to have a chance to add another goal to draw even at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
In the Champions League, Barcelona started 16-year-old Lamine Yamal for the second time. Marc Guiu, 17, who scored the game’s winning goal on his debut against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, entered as a late substitute.