A night to not forget. An incredible goal and almost two more. A brilliant performance with and without the ball. Stepping on the area and hurting the opponent. Fermín López's self-confidence overshadowed everything at Barça in his first start in the Champions League. The Andalusian made the absence of Gavi and Pedri barely noticeable. If just a year ago he was in Linares playing against Celta B and watching his team lose 1-2, today he dazzled the Montjuïc stands as what he is, one of the jewels in the crown of this Barça.
Fermín López's match was round. Unlike the match against Athletic, against Shakhtar he acted in the midfield, much more focused. A position that allows him to better show off his technical and tactical qualities. From there he was able to assist João Cancelo with a chipped pass, who almost scored the first. Shortly after he touched the goal after a steal by Oriol Romeu. López cut inside the area but his shot was rejected by the goalkeeper with his foot.
His speed allows him to break into space and be invisible to the rival defense. In one of those forays without the ball, Gundogan found him with a measured pass. Control with the chest inside the area and hit the post. The rebound was collected by Ferran Torres to score the first goal. "You never expect all this, but I've been working for it all my life, and I'm grateful to Xavi and the club for the opportunities," Fermín said after the game.
The Huelva native continued striking. That is another of his virtues. His work level is much higher than average, which allows him to recover many balls in positions close to the rival goal. Although if Fermín López stands out for something, it is for his excellent mid-distance hitting. He showed it with an extraordinary goal from outside the area. The ball hit the post and went towards the other post inside the goal, which increased the beauty of the goal.
Fermín celebrated it as the goal of his life. It was the second goal with the first team in his short career. He ran towards the sideline excitedly and kissed his shield, exultant at what he had achieved. A few days ago it was Marc Guiu (17) who was shining for Barça. Today it was Fermín López (20). In the absence of superstars, the guys from La Masía are good.
"It was a key match for the classification," the Barca youth player began at the Movistar microphones, "we suffered a little but we got the three points. "I feel very comfortable inside, I try to play my game," he confessed. "It was It was a difficult game, it was difficult for us because they were a difficult team, but we already have nine points, so we are very happy.
The midfielder could not have been more timely with his great night. With only three days left until the classic match against Real Madrid, the youth player knocks on Xavi's door to win the starting spot in a great game.
