With a dominant second half comeback, Barcelona defeated Copenhagen 4-1, securing a top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League and punching their ticket to the round of 16.

The game started the worst possible way for Barça: In the beginning of the first half after a defensive error by Barcelona, Copenhagen played a through ball in between the Blaugrana center-backs to beat the offside trap, and Dadason was all alone with Joan Garcia and scored the opener and gave Copenhagen a 1-0 lead. It was the type of goal Barça always concedes in Europe, and it was extremely frustrating to watch.

During the second half, Lamine Yamal came through for Barcelona in the 48th-minute with an assist to Robert Lewandowski to level the score 1-1 in the match. Yamal led Barcelona‘s comeback against F.C. København.

After the 1-1 equalizer, Yamal scored his first goal of the game in the 59th-minute to make it 2-1. A sensational through ball by Dani Olmo that ended in a Yamal assist for a Lewandowski tap-in got things started, and Yamal’s deflected shot that went over the keeper’s head and into the net gave them the lead at the hour mark.

In the 66th-minute of the game. Lewandowski was fouled inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty kick for Barca, Raphinha scored the penalty and put Barcelona ahead 3-1 with a two-goal lead with 20 minutes to go.

After going down 3-1, Barcelona did not slow down and kept attacking to finish the game strong. In the 82nd-minute of the match, Barcelona scored the fourth and final goal of the night.

The play started from the right side when Raphinha carried the ball forward and found space near the edge of the box. He played a sharp pass into Marcus Rashford inside the penalty area. Rashford controlled the ball calmly and fired a powerful right-footed shot past the Copenhagen goalkeeper to make it 4-1 and completely seal the victory.

Copenhagen tried to respond after the fourth goal but Barcelona’s defense stayed organized and did not allow any clear chances. Garcia made sure there were no more surprises in the final minutes of the game.

With the final whistle, Barcelona completed an impressive comeback after conceding early in the first half. The Blaugrana showed character and quality, especially in the second half where they scored all four goals. 

Yamal was one of the best players on the pitch with one goal and one assist, while Robert Lewandowski added an important equalizer to shift the momentum. Raphinha’s penalty and Rashford’s late finish secured the dominant 4-1 result.

With this important win at home, Barcelona finished fifth in the standings and secured an automatic spot in the round of 16 without needing to play in the Champions League play-offs.

Key Champions League dates:

• Play-offs: February 17-18 and 24-25
• Round of 16: March 10-11 and 17-18
• Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and 14-15
• Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6
• Final: May 30