Barcelona beat Shakhtar Donetsk to maintain perfect UCL start

Barcelona secured a third consecutive win in the UEFA Champions League after a 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League Group H match played at the Estadio Olimpico Lluis Companys stadium.

Ferran Torres scored one goal and assisted another as his side resisted Donetsk threat to maintain their perfect Champions League record.

Having recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Royal Antwerp on matchday two, Shakhtar travelled to Catalonia knowing a decent result was needed against Barcelona, who sat top of Group H with a perfect record from their opening two group games.

Read also PSG vs Milan: Mbappe shines as Les Parisiens outclassed Rossoneri

Determined to move a step closer to their first round of 16 appearances in the Champions League since 2020/21, the hosts started dominantly, as Fermín López saw an early effort thwarted by the boot of Dmytro Riznyk.

Barcelona extended their impressive home record against Ukrainian clubs to nine wins from 12 matches. Shakhtar will be desperate to bounce back in the return fixture in matchday four after losing two of their opening three group games.

The Catalans continued to search for a breakthrough as the first half progressed, and after López rattled the upright from close range, Ferran Torres was in the right place at the right time to confidently dispatch the rebound, giving Barcelona a well-deserved lead shortly before the half-hour mark. Armed with the momentum, the hosts doubled their advantage just eight minutes later through the influential López, who skipped past a challenge on the edge of the box before firing a rasping drive into the top corner.

Faced with a two-goal deficit at halftime for the second consecutive Champions League match, Shakhtar emerged after the restart with a renewed focus, and the Ukrainian side pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute when Heorhiy Sudakov finished brilliantly from Irakli Azarovi’s inch-perfect pass.
Buoyed by that goal, the visitors went in pursuit of an equaliser as time ticked into the final 25 minutes, but it was Barça who came within inches of restoring their two-goal lead as López curled a sumptuous effort against the base of the post.

With Saturday’s El Clásico against rivals Real Madrid on the horizon, Xavi resisted the temptation to rest his key players.