On paper, neither the losses nor the imminent visit of Real Madrid managed to distract Barça in their European match against Shakhtar. The first part of the script - and the beautiful one - says that in the face of adversity, the team resists, wins and the youth matures even if it is by force. Pulling from the goals of Ferran Torres and Fermín López. The latter, without Gavi, became the team's heart with legs. But be careful. Because the second part also reveals that all this is achieved with a good dose of suffering. Gasoline runs out. It is not eternal and much less in a short staff. Barça finished with bad feelings, conceding a goal from Shakhtar and with João Félix suffering from discomfort.
The state of nursing limited the imagination of Xavi Hernández. Those who are there play. Without tests or experiments. The coach had to fill the list of the 12 available from the first team with eight youngsters from the reserve team. The average age of this Barça is 23 years old. Faithful to the meritocracy that always represents him, Xavi rewarded Iñigo Martínez's good performance against Athletic with his second start of the season. Flanked by Araújo and Cancelo on the right side and by Marcos Alonso on the left, Iñigo continued to gain confidence and once again gave a performance at the level of what is expected from an experienced centre-back. He filtered balls and defended with solvency. The defense was completed by Marcos Alonso. Xavi did not waste the opportunity to give Balde a rest. There were few more moves he could make.
Beyond Iñigo Martínez, there were other players who gained confidence at least in the early stages of the game. The first was Oriol Romeu. The pivot recovered balls and prevented Shakhtar's long possessions from going any further. The performance of the Ulldecona player did not stop there. It was precisely his forced header that went over the crossbar that put Shakhtar on notice. Barça began to cheer up. Especially a footballer who at 20 years old continues to row and surprise. This is Fermín López. In his first attack of the night, he took advantage of another recovery from Oriol Romeu and cut back with that point of calm that surprises in any young man. His shot hit goalkeeper Riznyk's foot. Lamine Yamal was thicker, who was not seen as awake or with so much self-confidence.
Barça did not want to wait any longer. After a shot from Zubkov that bounced off Marcos Alonso and tested Ter Stegen, the necessary doses of magic and slate arrived. Gündogan looked for Fermín who controlled and finished but ran into the post. When everyone thought the youth player was offside, including the referee, Ferran Torres didn't think so. He shot on instinct and finished with his right foot without hesitation. After a few moments of uncertainty and the pertinent review, the VAR verified that Fermín was in the correct position. The first explosion of the afternoon arrived in Montjuïc and the shark's goal went up the scoreboard. “It's for you, grandma,” read on his shirt. A memory of his grandmother who died on Monday.
Football rewarded Fermín. With dynamism, passion and, above all, a lot of success, the youth player caught a ball that Ferran Torres leaked to him and scored a real goal for the top corner with the entire Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc chanting his name. That of one of the revelation players of FC Masia who this week renewed until 2028. At this rate it will not be enough. The fans want more Fermines.
Changes knocked on the door in the second half. But Xavi had to wait longer than his Excel would have expected. After a header by João Félix at the far post and a goal disallowed by Ferran Torres who started in an advanced position, Shakhtar's goal arrived. And with it fear. Barça erred on the side of safety and gave free rein to Kryskiv who looked for a foul pass to Sudakov. The latter beat Cancelo and Oriol Romeu to beat Ter Stegen. Barça responded with a shot against Fermín's post. And another header goal disallowed again due to a millimeter offside. A shame because the power of the shot deserved to go up on the scoreboard. The VAR also ruled out a possible penalty for Kelsy's hands.
There is no Barça game without bad news. And the house of cards on which the squad is based shook. In this case it was Joao Félix who retired with discomfort in his right leg after a forced jump. He also received a kick in the stomach from Ferran Torres. Stepanenko, team captain, tried his luck against the Blaugrana's fatigue with a shot. The Ukrainian team finished the game with the feeling that the tie was close. And with Barça extracting oil - Araújo, Guiu and Lamine Yamal tried - and also the language. The next one will be the Rolling Stones in the classic. I hope Xavi recovers his strength. He needs them.
