Lamine Yamal’s star turn powered Barcelona past Copenhagen 4-1 on Wednesday, clinching a top-eight finish in the Champions League’s new league phase and an automatic berth in the round of 16.
The 18-year-old winger set up Robert Lewandowski’s equalizer and then struck the go-ahead goal before Raphinha and Marcus Rashford added late finishes to cap a dominant second half. Barcelona, winners in 14 of their last 15 matches in all competitions, finished fifth in the 36-team table to avoid February’s playoff round.
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- Final: Barcelona 4, Copenhagen 1
- Lamine Yamal: 1 goal, 1 assist; man of the match
- Barcelona finish fifth in league phase; advance directly to round of 16
- 17-year-old Viktor Dadason opened scoring for Copenhagen
- Copenhagen finish 31st; eliminated
Copenhagen shocked the home crowd by striking first, with 17-year-old Viktor Dadason racing clear to score in the fourth minute. Barcelona labored for control before the break, but the game flipped decisively after halftime when Yamal’s pace and invention began to bite.
Three minutes into the second half, Yamal burst into the box and squared for Lewandowski, who met the pass with a measured finish to level at 1-1 in the 48th minute. Twelve minutes later, the teenager took matters into his own hands, curling a right-footed effort from the edge of the area that clipped a defender and arced inside the far top corner for 2-1.
“These are the nights you dream of playing in and winning when you are a kid,” Yamal said after being named man of the match. “A fantastic night and we achieve our objective.”
His manager applauded a performance that married flair with graft. “He has to adapt because the opponent almost always has two or three players on him,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. “Today his speed for the first goal and that he attacked the deep space was fantastic. He also ran back and tracked and worked defensively. Copenhagen couldn’t go straight to our goal that one time because he was there. He’s improved but he has absolutely fantastic quality. He’s amazing.”
With the lead secured, Barcelona turned on the control and the margin swelled. Raphinha struck to create daylight before Rashford, sharp off the bench, put the result beyond doubt. The closing minutes felt like a procession as the Catalans saw out a win that was as much about composure as it was about talent.
Beyond the scoreboard, the night underscored why Yamal has become Barcelona’s heartbeat. The teenager’s attacking decisions — when to drive, when to pause, when to release — tilted the pitch. Copenhagen had doubled and sometimes tripled his flank, as Flick noted, but that attention opened space elsewhere for Lewandowski to operate and for runners to arrive from midfield. When Yamal did get isolated, he used the dribble to break lines and force defenders into crisis choices.
His goal also pushed him into rarefied company: Dadason’s opener was his third Champions League goal before turning 18; Yamal holds the tournament best in that category with five.
The victory lands Barcelona precisely where the revamped Champions League rewards excellence: inside the top eight of the league phase, a corridor that leads straight to the last 16. In the new format, teams placed ninth through 24th must navigate a two-legged playoff to join the seeded eight. By finishing fifth, Barcelona skip that gauntlet and earn additional rest and preparation time before the knockout rounds begin.
For Copenhagen, who closed the phase in 31st place, the early promise faded under pressure. Their compact shape and clever pressing sprang Dadason for the opener, but once Barcelona raised the tempo and tightened their rest defense, the visitors were pushed deeper and deeper, forced into longer clearances that rarely stuck. The margins at this level are thin; against a player with Yamal’s burst and a finisher like Lewandowski, inviting wave after wave is a perilous plan.
Barcelona’s broader arc remains compelling. Flick’s side have meshed youth and experience with increasing fluency. The physical work without the ball — a point of emphasis from the coach — has steadied the team late in games, while the forward line has found a sharper edge. Lewandowski’s movement still confounds markers; Raphinha stretches the field; and now Yamal is both creator and dagger.
There will be bigger tests ahead, and knockout football exposes flaws ruthlessly. But this was a night about answers more than questions. Barcelona were rattled, then ruthless. A teenager led them back. And a place among Europe’s last 16 is secure without detour.
What follows is the patience and precision of tournament football. The job now is to carry the momentum, preserve legs, and keep Yamal in the zones where he does the most damage. On Wednesday’s evidence, Barcelona’s ceiling rises when the ball is at the youngster’s feet — and their floor lifts when the group defends as one behind him.
On a night that might have complicated their spring, Barcelona found the authority champions crave. The message, stamped in the scoreline and in the confidence of a teenager, was simple: they are right where they wanted to be.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
