Barcelona reached the Champions League last 16 with a fierce second-half surge at Camp Nou, overturning an early deficit to defeat Copenhagen 4-1. Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus
Rashford scored for Hansi Flick's side, who finished fifth in the league phase standings after another comeback performance.
The victory followed another difficult first half in Europe for Barcelona, who again went into the break behind. At half-time, Barcelona were as low as 13th in the 36-team standings, but the response after the interval matched their strong record when chasing games this season.
Copenhagen shocked Camp Nou in the fourth minute. Mohamed Elyounoussi played a sharp pass through to Viktor Dadason, who calmly beat Joan Garcia. Lewandowski then nearly equalised six minutes later after Junnosuke Suzuki miscontrolled, yet Dominik Kotarski denied the forward with a strong save.
Barcelona struggled to find rhythm before the interval and Copenhagen defended compactly. However, the hosts needed only three minutes of the second half to level. Dani Olmo slipped a precise defence-splitting ball to Yamal, who squared for Lewandowski to finish from close range inside the six-yard box.
The comeback gathered speed on the hour mark. Yamal cut inside and his shot took a big deflection off Pantelis Hatzidiakos, wrong-footing Kotarski and nestling in the net. Barcelona then extended their advantage when Lewandowski was fouled in the area, allowing Raphinha to convert the resulting penalty with a composed strike.
Rashford supplied the final touch to the scoreline with a fine free-kick in the 85th minute, bending the ball beyond Kotarski from distance. Barcelona were not only clinical but also dominant in chance creation, and Copenhagen rarely threatened after the opening goal as Flick’s team controlled territory and tempo.
We made it. pic.twitter.com/DzRG57L9FqFC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 28, 2026
The underlying numbers underlined Barcelona’s control of the match. They produced 28 shots to Copenhagen’s six, and their expected goals figure reached 3.05 compared with 1.06 for the visitors. That attacking volume reflected Barcelona’s territorial dominance once the equaliser shifted momentum in Flick’s favour.
Yamal again played a central role in Europe. Barcelona have now collected 10 points from losing positions in this Champions League campaign, more than any other club. They have also trailed at half-time in four of their last five Champions League matches under Flick, after doing so only three times in the first 17.
Yamal’s assist for Lewandowski took the teenager to eight Champions League assists for Barcelona, the most by any teenage player in the competition’s history, surpassing Kylian Mbappe’s seven for Paris Saint-Germain. The 18-year-old also scored and assisted in a Champions League game for the third time, matching Mbappe’s record for a teenager.
Barcelona, who will face one of Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Monaco or Qarabag in the last 16, strengthened their status as late-stage contenders with this display. The blend of resilience, attacking depth and Yamal’s growing influence provided a clear boost as Flick’s side advanced from the league phase.
