Barcelona showcased their attacking quality to secure a 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague at the Fortuna Arena on UEFA Champions League matchday seven, continuing the Czech side’s poor record against Spanish opposition in Europe (D7, L7).
In freezing conditions of minus six degrees, Slavia had an early chance when Tomás Chory fired a shot narrowly over the bar following a mistake by Barcelona’s Gerard Martín. Fermín López responded for the visitors, testing goalkeeper Jindřich Staněk with a low effort. However, the hosts took the lead in the 10th minute from a corner. After a flick-on from Tomás Holes, Vasil Kušej bundled the ball in at the far post, marking Slavia’s first Champions League goal in five games.
Barcelona gradually grew into the match and drew level on 34 minutes. Frenkie de Jong threaded a pass to Fermín López, who finished precisely inside the right post. The winger doubled his tally eight minutes later, curling a strike from outside the box past a helpless Staněk. Slavia responded just before half-time when Robert Lewandowski inadvertently headed a corner into his own net, setting up a tense second half.
The second period began with Barcelona pressing for the lead. Pedri came close early, while Frenkie de Jong had a goal ruled out for offside. Raphinha then saw a promising chance go over the bar. On the hour mark, Dani Olmo replaced Fermín López, who appeared to suffer a hamstring issue. Three minutes after coming on, Olmo struck a right-footed shot into the top corner to give Barcelona the lead. Lewandowski then secured the win with a composed finish from a Marcus Rashford cross, completing Barcelona’s 4-2 victory.
The win improves Barcelona’s record against Czech opposition in the Champions League to eight wins from nine games (D1) and keeps their hopes of automatic qualification alive ahead of their final league phase match against Copenhagen. Slavia Prague, meanwhile, will travel to Cyprus to face Paphos, playing solely for pride.
