Fermín López struck a superb hat-trick and Marcus Rashford continued his fine European form as Barcelona crushed Olympiacos 6-1 to claim their second Champions League win of the campaign.
Lopez’s two composed first-half finishes put the hosts firmly in control before his third, combined with a Lamine Yamal penalty and a Rashford double, sealed a commanding victory at the Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona made the perfect start when López played Lamine Yamal through on goal in the seventh minute.
When Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis could only parry the ball, Lopez reacted quickest to slot home past defenders on the line.
The Spanish midfielder doubled the lead half an hour later, racing onto 17-year-old Dro Fernández’s precise through ball before cutting inside and curling a delightful left-footed strike into the far corner.
The second half began in chaotic fashion as Olympiacos briefly thought they were back in the contest.
Ayoub El Kaabi’s header was disallowed for offside after a VAR review, but the referee instead awarded the visitors a penalty for a handball by Eric García. El Kaabi converted from the spot via the post to make it 2-1.
Any hopes of a comeback were dashed moments later when Santiago Hezze received a second yellow card for catching Lopez with a flailing arm. Barcelona soon made their advantage count.
Yamal, who at 18 years and 100 days became the youngest player ever to reach 25 Champions League appearances, calmly converted a penalty after Rashford was fouled by Tzolakis.
Rashford then made it 4-1 with a low, clinical finish on 74 minutes before Lopez completed his hat-trick with a powerful strike from the edge of the area – becoming the first Spaniard ever to score a Champions League treble for Barcelona.
Rashford added his second soon after, controlling a cross-field ball beautifully before drilling home to complete the 6-1 rout.
Remarkably, the Englishman has now scored four goals in three Champions League appearances for the Catalan side — after managing more than one goal in a match just once during his 37 games for Manchester United in the competition.
It was the first time since their famous 6-1 comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 that Barcelona have scored six times in a Champions League game.
The victory leaves Hansi Flick’s side on six points from three matches, following a 2-1 win against Newcastle and a 2-1 defeat to PSG. Olympiacos, meanwhile, remain on one point and have now lost their last 12 away games in the competition.
Fernández Shines on European Debut
Seventeen-year-old Dro Fernández marked his Champions League debut with an assist for López’s second goal.
The Galician youngster, one of seven La Masia graduates in Flick’s starting XI, was a surprise inclusion amid Barcelona’s ongoing injury crisis, which has sidelined Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Dani Olmo.
Born in Nigrán in north-west Spain and of Filipino heritage through his mother, Fernández joined Barcelona’s academy from Val Miñor Nigrán in 2022.
The versatile attacker has represented Spain at youth level and is regarded as one of the brightest prospects to emerge from La Masia in recent years.
With El Clásico against Real Madrid looming on Sunday, Flick will be encouraged not only by the scoreline but also by the impressive performances of his young talents.
