Barcelona emerged victorious from their Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk today, but their injury crisis took a turn for the worse as Joao Felix joined an extended list of absentees.
Ahead of the continental fixture on home turf, Barca were missing seven first-team members who were excluded from the team sheet through suspensions or injuries.
Of the seven players who watched the midweek victory from the stands, only Gavi missed out through suspension, while Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Raphinha, Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong were excluded due to injuries.
Despite missing several key players, Xavi Hernandez’s side characteristically controlled proceedings and looked threatening on the attacking front.
Their attacking endeavours finally bore fruit in the 28th minute when Ferran Torres rifled an effort into the back of the net after Fermin Lopez had seen a ferocious effort cannon off the woodwork.
The Spanish attacker soon turned provider as the Blaugranas quickly established their dominance in the game, doubling their advantage in the 36th minute.
Torres fed the in-form Lopez, who skipped past a challenge on the edge of the box before firing a thunderous piledriver into the top corner.
Shakhtar emerged after the restart with renewed vigour, and the Ukrainian side pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute when Heorhiy Sudakov finished brilliantly from Irakli Azarovi’s inch-perfect pass.
Barca’s evening took another wrong turn when Felix was forced to exit the pitch in the 75th minute after picking up a knock, adding to Xavi’s headaches on the injury front.
Academy graduate Marc Guiu stepped in as a replacement as Barca remained resilient to see out a 2-1 win.
Felix’s injury setback could not have come at a worse time for the Blaugranas, who will now switch their attention to the weekend’s mouth-watering El Clasico fixture against arch-nemesis Real Madrid.
Barca are optimistic that Lewandowski, De Jong and Raphinha could recover in time for Madrid’s visit, but it remains to be seen if Felix can shake off his knock in time for the high-profile encounter.
