Barcelona: Barcelona delivered a commanding statement of intent ahead of next week’s El Clásico, thrashing Greek champions Olympiakos 6-1 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in a UEFA Champions League group stage match.

According to Oman News Agency, the match turned decisively in the 57th minute when Olympiakos midfielder Santiago Hezze was controversially sent off, receiving a second yellow card for a challenge on Marc Casado. Despite video replays suggesting minimal contact, the dismissal left the visitors with ten men and Barcelona capitalized mercilessly, scoring four times in an 11-minute onslaught.

Youngster Fermin Lopez was the star of the show, netting his first career hat-trick. He had given the Spanish champions a 2-0 halftime lead with two clinical finishes before completing his treble in the second-half barrage.

The victory was briefly threatened when Olympiakos halved the deficit to 2-1 through an Ayoub El Kaabi penalty just before the hour mark. However, Hezze’s subsequent dismissal three m
inutes later extinguished any hope of a comeback.

With the numerical advantage, Barcelona ran riot. Lamine Yamal restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty spot, sparking a flurry of goals. On-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford added two more to his European tally, taking his total to four goals in three UEFA Champions League appearances this season.

The resounding victory provides a significant morale boost for Barcelona as they now turn their attention to the season’s first showdown with arch-rivals Real Madrid.