Fermin Lopez Shines in Barcelona's Close Win Against Shakhtar Donetsk: Player Ratings

An injury-hit Barcelona made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves during their 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, maintaining their perfect Champions League record in Group H.

The hosts were without Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Raphinha, as well as the suspended Gavi, but ultimately prevailed over their Ukrainian visitors. Ferran Torres' powerful volley and Fermin Lopez's spectacular strike from distance gave Barcelona an emphatic two-goal lead at the break.

Barcelona seemed as if they would canter to three points, but Shakhtar's fighting spirit caused plenty of problems in the second half. Georgiy Sudakov pulled one back as they pushed for a shock equaliser, but Xavi's side managed to hold on for another Champions League win.

Despite being forced to field a weakened side for Shakhtar's visit, it didn't take long for Barcelona to find their groove. Lopez danced into the box early on before seeing his effort rebuffed by Dmytro Riznyk, while Joao Cancelo also saw his left-footed shot comfortably held by the Ukrainian goalkeeper.

Just before the half-an-hour mark, Barcelona eventually broke through a resilient Shakhtar. Torres thrashed home a fierce effort after Lopez's shot had struck the post and, while initially being ruled out for offside, the hosts eventually had a well-earned lead after a two-minute VAR check.

With 37 minutes on the clock, Barcelona had their second and it was a simply sensational strike from the increasingly impressive Lopez. Having been at the heart of all the hosts' good work, the youngster fired home a venomous effort from 20 yards with the ball crashing off the inside of the post on its way beyond Riznyk.

The La Liga champions started the second half in a similarly dominant fashion, Joao Felix testing the visiting goalkeeper with an angled header just three minutes after the restart. Torres thought he had doubled Barca's lead around the hour mark but his delicate chip was correctly adjudged to be offside, much to Shakhtar's relief.

However, out of nowhere, Shakhtar were offered a ray of hope. Georgiy Sudakov made a dart beyond Barcelona's backline with Ronaldo Araujo dragged out wide and was eventually supplied by Irakli Azarov, with the midfielder producing a composed finish to cut the deficit.

With panic creeping in around the stadium, Lopez almost restored Barca's two-goal cushion. The midfielder's first effort crashed off the woodwork from the edge of the area before his wonderful looping header was ruled out for offside.

Shakhtar huffed and puffed looking for an equaliser as Barcelona's nerves became more visible, but the hosts just about held on for a third successive Champions League win in the group stage before this weekend's El Clasico.