Lopez double fires Barcelona to 4-2 comeback win at Slavia Prague

Jan 21 : Barcelona came from behind to defeat Slavia Prague 4-2 on a freezing night in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Fermin Lopez scoring twice and Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski adding second-half goals to secure the victory.

The win lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the round of 16. Slavia languish third from bottom with just three points.

On a bitterly cold evening in Prague, with temperatures dropping to minus eight Celsius, Slavia stunned the visitors with an early lead.

A cleverly worked corner in the 10th minute saw Tomas Holes flick a delivery from the near to the far post, where Vasil Kusej bundled the ball across the line under pressure from Frenkie de Jong.

Barcelona levelled in the 34th minute through Lopez, who unleashed a sharp, angled strike from inside the box, squeezing the ball past keeper Jindrich Stanek at the near post after a faint deflection off the Slovakian's shoulder.

Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the lead in the 42nd minute with a fine effort from the edge of the box. The attacking midfielder found the bottom right corner with precision, leaving Stanek no chance.

Barca's advantage lasted just two minutes as an unfortunate defensive mishap saw Slavia equalise. Under pressure defending a corner, Lewandowski inadvertently deflected the ball off his shoulder and into his own net to send the teams into halftime level at 2-2.

After regrouping at the break, Barcelona took control of the game in the second half, relentlessly attacking Slavia's defence.

Raphinha, Pedri and Lopez all squandered good opportunities before substitute Olmo produced a