Lopez hits hat-trick as Rashford shines in Barcelona rout of Olympiacos

Fermin Lopez produced a dazzling hat-trick and Marcus Rashford continued his superb European form as Barcelona swept aside Olympiacos in a dominant Champions League performance, Sport360NG reports.

Lopez struck twice in the first half before completing his treble after the break, while Rashford netted a brace and Lamine Yamal added a penalty as Hansi Flick’s side recorded their most emphatic European win since the famous 6-1 comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

Barcelona took control early when Lopez capitalised on a rebound after Yamal’s shot was parried by goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, firing home through a crowd of defenders. The midfielder doubled the lead just before the half-hour mark, racing onto a through ball from 17-year-old Dro Fernandez before cutting inside and curling a fine left-footed effort into the far corner.

Olympiacos briefly threatened to get back into the contest in bizarre fashion. Ayoub El Kaabi saw a header ruled out for offside after a VAR review, only for the referee to then award a penalty to the visitors for a handball by Eric Garcia. El Kaabi made no mistake from the spot, squeezing his effort in off the post.

However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished. Moments later, Santiago Hezze was dismissed for a second booking after catching Marc Casado with an arm, and Barcelona soon made their advantage count.

Yamal, who became the youngest player to reach 25 Champions League appearances at just 18 years and 100 days, coolly converted a penalty after Rashford was tripped by Tzolakis.

Rashford then got on the scoresheet himself, drilling home a low finish to make it 4-1 before Lopez completed his hat-trick with a fierce strike from the edge of the box, becoming the first Spaniard to net a Champions League treble for the Catalan club.

The England international wasn’t done, adding his second with a precise drive after controlling a long diagonal pass. Rashford has now scored four goals in three European outings for Barcelona, already matching his best scoring spell in the competition from his Manchester United days.

“Rashford played very well today,” Flick said afterwards. “It’s not easy for him playing as a number nine, but he gave everything. He scored, he won a penalty, and he’s giving exactly what I expect from him.”

The victory leaves Barcelona on six points from three matches, following a win over Newcastle and a narrow defeat to PSG. Olympiacos, meanwhile, remain bottom of the group with just one point and have now lost 12 consecutive Champions League away fixtures.

Fernandez impresses on European debut

Seventeen-year-old Dro Fernandez made a memorable European debut, providing the assist for Lopez’s second goal and displaying calmness beyond his years.

The Galician forward, who joined Barcelona’s academy from Val Miñor Nigrán in 2022, has risen quickly through the ranks and became the latest La Masia graduate to feature under Flick.

With Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Dani Olmo all sidelined and Ferran Torres not risked ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico, Flick named seven academy products in his starting XI, underlining both the club’s injury crisis and the depth of homegrown talent.

“The special thing about La Masia is the connection between these young players,” Flick said. “Many of them have played together since they were children. They understand each other perfectly, and now they are doing it on the biggest stage.”