Fermin Lopez Fires Hat-Trick as
Barcelona Demolish Olympiakos Ahead of El Clásico

Barcelona, 22 Oct (ONA) —
Barcelona delivered a commanding statement of intent ahead of next week’s El
Clásico, thrashing Greek champions Olympiakos 6-1 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís
Companys in a UEFA Champions League group stage match.

The match turned decisively in the
57th minute when Olympiakos midfielder Santiago Hezze was controversially sent
off, receiving a second yellow card for a challenge on Marc Casado. Despite
video replays suggesting minimal contact, the dismissal left the visitors with
ten men and Barcelona capitalized mercilessly, scoring four times in an
11-minute onslaught.

Youngster Fermin Lopez was the star
of the show, netting his first career hat-trick. He had given the Spanish
champions a 2-0 halftime lead with two clinical finishes before completing his
treble in the second-half barrage.

The victory was briefly threatened
when Olympiakos halved the deficit to 2-1 through an Ayoub El Kaabi penalty
just before the hour mark. However, Hezze’s subsequent dismissal three minutes
later extinguished any hope of a comeback.

With the numerical advantage,
Barcelona ran riot. Lamine Yamal restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty
spot, sparking a flurry of goals. On-loan Manchester United forward Marcus
Rashford added two more to his European tally, taking his total to four goals
in three UEFA Champions League appearances this season.

The resounding victory provides a
significant morale boost for Barcelona as they now turn their attention to the
season’s first showdown with arch-rivals Real Madrid.

— Ends/Khalid