Fermín and Rashford beat Olympiacos with 10

Unbridled abandon is a virtue in football. It's a catalyst, synonymous with spark, improvisation, and even genius. It serves to embellish great victories and, above all, to rescue a match when it gets bogged down. That's what Fermín did, unleashing himself against Olympiacos to lead a lackluster Barça side that, if not for their performance, sharpens their spirits for the visit to the Bernabéu. [Narration and statistics (6-1)]

Flick was lucky that Fermín's passion made him cling to Barça. His unquenchable faith was matched by that of Rashford , increasingly tinged with Barça, and with Pedri 's permission, they were able to strike in Europe without missing Raphinha , Lewandowski , or the best version of Lamine Yamal . However, the result can't mask the fact that the match was murky until midway through the second half, when the Catalans shook it up in 30 minutes.

And just in case Barça was planning to take a nap, Portuguese striker Podence made Szczesny stretch out 39 seconds into the match. The Greeks, with Mendilibar at the helm, refused to concede a single advantage, and that was a warning that it was time to shake off their laziness. Flick, faced with a plague of injuries, had entrusted the attack to Rashford, and in the control room alongside Pedri were a debutant, Dro, and the man who never lets him down: Fermín. Sharp in attack, he is the German's best soldier on the pitch. So much so that he took it upon himself to erase any hint of surprise with a stroke of the pen, not once, but twice, to finish with his first hat trick in Europe.

No easy match

Olympiacos responded to the initial scare by setting up a counterattack, relying on Lamine Yamal to finally shoot past Tzolakis . He had gifted the winger the opportunity, but when he couldn't find the space to finish, he appeared with an unstoppable shot. With the lead six minutes into the game, Barça had the opportunity to step on the gas, settle down, and think about the Clásico at the Bernabéu. But no.

This team struggles to win comfortable matches and found themselves with the Greeks circling the penalty area and testing shots like Dani García 's. In the process, the Blaugranas were unable to shake off the pressure of a rival who saw their chances increase by not raising the pace of the match. That's when Fermín reappeared.

This time, he benefited from his connection with Pedri and Dro . The Canary Islander snatched the ball from the Greeks in midfield, found the young Galician, and with a backheel, he sensed Balde's approach down the wing and delivered a ball to Fermín in the heart of the box. A cutback and a second goal.

At halftime, Barça took the lead but were still feeling unsettled. Therefore, although they started the second half again with Fermín heading in a Lamine cross, it went awry. Without tension, mistakes arise. In clearing an Olympiacos cross, Eric García touched the ball with his hand. Although the move ended in a goal, as it wouldn't go on the scoreboard due to offside, VAR warned the Swiss referee of the penalty, which El Kaabi didn't miss. The result was looming when Barça most needed to seal it.

Then the referee appeared to make things easier for him by sending Hezze off for a second yellow card, at which point Flick took advantage of the opportunity to look at his bench. Earlier, Rashford had forced Tzolakis to give him a penalty, which, through VAR, Lamine Yamal converted into a decisive lead. The young star hasn't yet shone, but he's showing signs of brilliance. Meanwhile, others are taking center stage.

The fourth goal was scored by Rashford with a sharp, parrying shot in the box from a pass from Balde. As the night was already looking like a showpiece, Roony whipped in a cross from the byline with a cow-tailed dribble that Fermín sent into the back of the net. The English striker appeared again, as if in a duel of gunslingers, scoring the sixth and completing a tennis-like scoreline with a forehand blast from a pass from Pedri. A European rout.