Barcelona delivered a scintillating performance in the Champions League on Tuesday, dismantling Olympiacos 6-1 at the Camp Nou, with Fermin Lopez producing a superb hat-trick to lead the way.
The contest began at a frantic pace when Daniel Podence forced an early save just 18 seconds into the match, attempting to unsettle the home side.
Barcelona responded quickly, however, with Fermin opening the scoring in the seventh minute after a slick exchange with Lamine Yamal on the right.
The Spaniard doubled his tally seven minutes before half-time, cutting past Panagiotis Retsos and finishing clinically into the bottom-left corner from a precise Dro Fernandez set-piece.
Olympiacos briefly offered a glimmer of hope when Ayoub El Kaabi converted from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute, following an earlier goal that had been ruled out for a foul and offside in the build-up.
Their resurgence was cut short just four minutes later when Santiago Hezze received a controversial second booking for raising an arm, reducing the visitors to ten men.
Barcelona capitalised immediately. Yamal slotted home a penalty awarded after Marcus Rashford was brought down by goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, restoring the two-goal lead. The floodgates opened in the closing stages, with three goals in five minutes. Rashford found the near post in the 74th minute before Fermin completed his maiden career hat-trick with a powerful volley into the bottom-right corner. Rashford then secured his second goal five minutes later with a drilled low finish from distance.
The emphatic win lifts Barcelona to third in the Champions League group, signalling a strong response after recent mixed domestic results. Olympiacos remain in 32nd place, level on points with Kairat Almaty following their goalless draw against Pafos FC.
Barcelona’s performance underlined their attacking depth and clinical finishing, with Fermin and Rashford particularly influential. The victory also serves as a warning to their Champions League rivals that the Blaugrana are capable of devastating displays when firing on all cylinders.
