Barcelona returned to the Champions League winning column in some style on Tuesday evening, as they thumped Olympiacos 6–1 in Gameweek 3 of the league phase.
While the hosts were undoubtedly the beneficiaries of some kind refereeing, they were utterly ruthless after Olympiacos, who had been competitive in the opening hour, were reduced to 10 men.
Barça ran up the score in the closing stages, with Fermín López completing his hat trick after scoring twice in the first half. Marcus Rashford also recorded his second brace of the competition, having also scored twice at Newcastle United last month.
The comfort of their lead allowed Flick to withdraw some of his stars in preparation for Saturday’s El Clásico, and this was exactly the night they required heading into that game.
Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Olympiacos (4-2-3-1)
GK: Wojciech Szczęsny—6.8: Wasn’t forced into a save, so relatively quiet. Struggled with the ball at his feet, though.
RB: Jules Koundé—7.8: Sturdy enough, with Olympiacos not offering much down the left. Koundé was his headers and ventured forward when necessary.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.7: Outdueled for the disallowed goal but was otherwise a comfortable night. Dealt with balls in behind effectively.
CB: Eric García—6.8: A mixed bag in the air and was responsible for the penalty giveaway.
LB: Alejandro Balde—7.7: His first action was a sloppy sideways pass, but Balde was a menace thereafter. His surges from left-back proved a handy route to goal for the hosts early on, and he later assisted Rashford.
DM: Marc Casadó—7.6: Offered his best Sergio Busquets impression, but not because of his outstanding and efficient work in possession. His theatrics led to Santiago Hezze’s harsh dismissal, much like Busquets in the 2010 semifinal against Inter.
DM: Pedri—8.2: Pedri wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t far off. Everything revolved around the all-encompassing Spaniard, who functions as a controller and destroyer in Flick’s midfield.
RW: Lamine Yamal—8.8: It looked like Yamal was going to take over this game based on his sharp start, but he was relatively subdued until he scored from the penalty spot.
AM: Fermín López—9.7: The man of the hour. Fermín’s hat trick inspired the hosts. He’s a superb finisher, but also an astute mover without the ball and a brilliant combiner from between the lines.
LW: Dro Fernández—7.3: The latest starlet to emerge from La Masia’s conveyor belt was trusted by Flick from the outset, and he looked at ease on his Champions League bow. Nothing spectacular, but smart decisions and tidy execution.
ST: Marcus Rashford—9.0: Rashford came to life after Olympiacos were reduced to ten, with both of his finishes excellent. He can certainly perform this role for Flick when required moving forward.
Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Eder Aller (GK), Jofre Torrents, Toni Fernández, Xavi Espart, Juan Hernández, Ferran Torres.
Olympiacos (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Konstantinos Tzolakis; Costinha, Panagiotis Retsos, Lorenzo Pirola, Francisco Ortega, Santiago Hezze, Dani García; Gelson Martins, Chiquinho, Daniel Podence; Ayoub El Kaabi.
Subs used: Diogo Nascimento, Christos Mouzakitis, Bruno Onyemaechi, Roman Yaremchuk, Mehdi Taremi.
Player of the Match: Fermín López
Barcelona 6–1 Olympiacos—How It Unfolded at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Some may have expected Flick to rest a few more with El Clásico on the horizon, but the German perhaps thought his team could build a strong enough lead on Tuesday evening to facilitate respite in the second half.
After Daniel Podence forced Wojciech Szczęsny into action after 20 seconds, Barcelona quickly asserted control and produced some divine possession sequences in the opening stages. Olympiacos were determined to win the ball high up the pitch, but they were caught cold by a Alejandro Balde burst and pass that led to the hosts‘ opener.
Fermín Lopez combined with Lamine Yamal, and the crafty playmaker was on hand to finish after Yamal was smothered by Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis.
It looked like Barça would run riot in the aftermath, with Yamal and Balde dominating out wide. However, the visitors did begin to stifle their hosts, whose sloppiness allowed José Luis Mendilibar’s men a route back into the game.
17-year-old Dro Fernández 👶#UCL pic.twitter.com/UB164yCsPT
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 21, 2025
Dani García had a dangerous effort deflected over, with Podence having some joy attacking Barça’s left flank.
But when it looked like Olympiacos were maneuvering to work their way back into the game, López struck again with Barcelona’s second shot on target. The irresistible Pedri proved his worth out of possession here, as he pinched possession off García to ignite the transition sequence that led to López’s goal. The Spaniard was picked out by Champions League debutant Dro Fernández, who seldom looked flustered under the lights in Montjuic.
Flick wouldn’t have been overly thrilled with his side’s first-half performance, despite their 2–0 lead, and a lifeline presented itself to the Greek side after a rather bizarre sequence. It initially seemed that Ayoub El Kaabi had headed Olympiacos back into the game, but his goal was chalked off for offside, and the visitors were instead awarded a penalty for an Eric García handball.
El Kaabi converted from the spot, but their momentum was quickly sapped by a scandalous decision to award Santiago Hezze a second yellow card for barely grazing Marc Casadó’s hand with a flailing hand.
The officials were also on hand to help Barça score a third, as the video assistant referee intervened to award the hosts a penalty after Marcus Rashford was brought down by Tzolakis, even though it looked like the Englishman had played for contact. Nevertheless, Yamal made no mistake from 12 yards.
OMG Roony
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 21, 2025
After that, the rout was on. On either side of another Marcus Rashford brace, López completed his hat trick with another left-footed effort, after substitute Roony Bardghji produced a wonderful piece of skill on the byline to work the opening. 6–1, it would finish.
Barcelona vs. Olympiacos Halftime Stats
Barcelona vs. Olympiacos Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Olympiacos: Fermín Hat Trick Inspires Blaugrana Rout.