Barcelona 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: Player ratings as Fermin Lopez stars in narrow victory

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