Yamal and Lewandowski shine against Copenhagen as Barcelona seal their place in the round of 16 of the Champions League

Barcelona stormed back in the second half to record a 4-1 win over Copenhagen at Camp Nou on Wednesday, sealing a place in the top eight and direct qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford saw the Catalans finish fifth in the standings with 16 points, level with Manchester City, Chelsea and Sporting but ahead on goal difference.

Copenhagen shocked the hosts early on when 17-year-old Viktor Dadason slotted the opener past Joan Garcia in the fourth minute, but the second half started with a Barcelona fightback.

Yamal set up Lewandowski to equalize in the 48th minute, before scoring himself in the 60th minute with a deflected effort that left Copenhagen keeper Dominik Kotarski helpless. Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled, and Rashford added a fourth with a free-kick in the 85th minute.

«We all came here tonight with the idea of ​​getting into the top eight. We are very happy with the victory,» 18-year-old Yamal told Movistar Plus.

“If you concede a goal in the Champions League it is very difficult to come back, but the team was very resilient and managed to turn it around. With the number of games we play in a season, with two games less you feel much better.”

Despite the comfortable end result, Barcelona had a frustrating first half, with Copenhagen taking a shock lead.

Dadason stunned the home crowd after Mohamed Elyounoussi made a defensive pass, allowing Dadason to escape Barca’s high defensive line before firing a low shot past keeper Garcia.

Barcelona were clearly unsettled and were wasteful in attack during the opening 45 minutes. Raphinha and Lewandowski missed opportunities to equalize, while Eric Garcia came closest to an equalizer when his driven effort hit the crossbar in the 33rd minute.

However, in the second half, Barcelona was completely transformed.

Just three minutes after the restart, Yamal charged forward on a counter-attack, firing past the Copenhagen defenders before unselfishly squaring the ball to send Lewandowski into an empty net.

The host side seized control and upped the tempo, pinning Copenhagen deep in their own half and taking the lead after an hour through Yamal, whose deflected shot from the penalty area went over a stranded Kotarski and nestled into the far corner.

Raphinha converted from the spot in the 69th minute after Lewandowski was brought down in the area while trying to shoot before substitute Rashford rounded off the scoring.

Although Barcelona produced a clinical attacking display, questions remain over the defensive organisation. It completed the league stage without a clean sheet and finished with the worst defense among the top 13 teams.

Published on January 29, 2026