Barcelona Dominates Red Star with a Five-Goal Display
Barcelona extended their winning streak to seven consecutive matches across all competitions with an impressive 5-2 victory over Serbian hosts Red Star Belgrade in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League.
This win brings “Barça” to nine points (three wins and one loss), positioning them in sixth place in the tournament’s unified group. Meanwhile, Red Star remains winless with four consecutive losses, leaving them at 35th place.
Barcelona’s goals came from Iñigo Martínez (13), Polish star Robert Lewandowski (43, 53), Brazilian winger Raphinha (55), and substitute Fermín López (76). Red Star’s efforts led to goals by Congolese player Silas Katompa Mvumpa (23) and Angolan forward Milson (84).
Under the guidance of German coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona has been on an impressive offensive tear, scoring 29 goals in their last seven games, including major wins over traditional rivals Real Madrid (4-0 away in La Liga’s “El Clásico”) and Bayern Munich (4-1 in the previous round).
Match Highlights
Barcelona opened the scoring with a powerful header from Martínez, set up by a precise free kick from the impressive Raphinha (13).
Red Star quickly responded with an equalizer from Mvumpa, who calmly finished off a well-coordinated team effort (27).
The Catalans regained the lead just before halftime, with Lewandowski pouncing on a rebound from Raphinha’s shot that had struck the post (43).
The Polish striker then added another close-range finish following an assist from Frenchman Jules Koundé (53). Raphinha extended the lead with a stunning long-range strike (55).
López capped off the scoring with Barcelona’s fifth goal after another Koundé assist (76).
Red Star managed to pull one back with a late goal by Milson after a defensive lapse from Barcelona (84).
Painful Defeats for Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain
In other matches, Inter Milan deepened Arsenal’s troubles with a narrow 1-0 victory, and Paris Saint-Germain suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Atlético Madrid. Bayern Munich, however, returned to form with a victory over Benfica.
Inter Milan preserved their unbeaten record with a third win and a draw, secured by Turkish star Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s decisive penalty goal (45+3).
At Parc des Princes, PSG faced a second defeat, conceding a last-minute goal after struggling to convert multiple scoring chances.
PSG took an early lead through Warren Zaïre-Emery (14), but Atlético swiftly equalized with a goal from Nahuel Molina (18) before Ángel Correa clinched the winner in the dying moments (90+3).
Bayern Munich returned to winning ways, defeating Benfica 1-0 with a goal from rising star Jamal Musiala (67).
In other matches, Stuttgart fell 2-0 to Italian visitors Atalanta, Feyenoord lost 3-1 to Salzburg, Sparta Prague was narrowly beaten 2-1 by Brest, Shakhtar Donetsk bested Young Boys 2-1, and Club Brugge edged Aston Villa 1-0.
