Barcelona showed grit and resilience to overturn Slavia Prague twice and claim a hard-earned 4-2 victory on a freezing Champions League on Wednesday night in the Czech capital.
Fermín López was the standout performer, scoring two goals in an eight-minute spell during the first half, while Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski struck after the break to seal the win for the Catalans in sub-zero conditions.
The result moves Barcelona up to ninth in the standings on 13 points with one match left, level with several teams battling for a top-finish and automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Slavia Prague remain near the bottom of the table with just three points.
Playing in temperatures that dropped to minus eight degrees Celsius, Barcelona were caught cold early on.
Slavia took the lead in the 10th minute from a cleverly executed corner, as Tomas Holes flicked the ball on for Vasil Kusej to force it over the line despite pressure from Frenkie de Jong.
Barcelona restored parity in the 34th minute when López fired a low, angled shot from inside the box that crept past goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek at his near post, aided by a slight deflection.
Eight minutes later, the midfielder struck again, curling a precise effort from the edge of the area into the bottom corner to put the visitors ahead.
However, Barcelona’s lead was short-lived. Just before halftime, Lewandowski accidentally diverted the ball into his own net while defending a corner, leaving the score level at 2-2 at the break.
The Spanish giants dominated the second half, creating a series of chances through Raphinha, Pedri and López.
Their pressure finally paid off in the 64th minute when substitute Dani Olmo unleashed a stunning strike from outside the box into the top corner.
Lewandowski redeemed himself six minutes later to complete the comeback.
Another substitute, Marcus Rashford, burst down the left wing and delivered a cross that Lewandowski initially mishandled before reacting quickly to poke the ball home and make it 4-2.
Reflecting on the win, López admitted the conditions made the contest even tougher.
“We knew it would be difficult with the cold and the pressure they put on us,” he told Movistar Plus. “It was hard to even feel my hands and feet, but we kept pushing and managed to come back.”
He added that Barcelona were mindful of goal difference in the race for the knockout places, saying the team wanted a clean sheet but were satisfied with the performance and the victory.
