Marcus Rashford scored his second Champions League brace for Barcelona to help Hansi Flick’s side thrash Olympiacos 6-1 on Tuesday evening.
Barcelona were nowhere near their best but still led 2-0 at half-time thanks to Fermin Lopez’s brace.
Ayoub El Kaabi halved the deficit from the penalty spot in bizarre circumstances. He’d headed home in open play, but the ball struck Eric Garcia’s arm and deflected off El Kaabi into Daniel Podence — who assisted the header — in an offside position.
The game then shifted completely in Barcelona’s favour.
Santiago Hezze was sent off for a very debatable second yellow card just four minutes after El Kaabi’s goal, and Olympiacos collapsed.
Within 11 minutes of Hezze’s dismissal, Lamine Yamal converted a penalty — won by Rashford — to restore Barca’s two-goal lead, triggering a flurry of four goals in 11 minutes.
Fermin completed his hat-trick with a fine volley sandwiched between two brilliant Rashford finishes.
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Rashford couldn’t complete his own treble, but it was another hugely positive night for him in a Barcelona shirt.
The Manchester United loanee has come alive in the Champions League this season, scoring a brace against Newcastle United on matchday one and providing an assist against Paris Saint-Germain on matchday two.
That means Rashford now has the most goal involvements in the competition in 2025/26. Only Julian Alvarez (10) and Kylian Mbappe (17) have more contributions across all competitions of La Liga players this term — Rashford has nine.
He’s also been involved in goals in eight of his last nine appearances for the Blaugrana.
Rashford is a player revitalised, thriving in a system that suits him perfectly.
He led the line against Olympiacos but has mostly featured from the left, and proving himself in both positions is a major boost for both him and Flick.
His resurgence isn’t just good news for Barca, Flick and the player himself — it’s also a positive for Manchester United and England.
While Rashford is showing he’s a player United could still use, that chapter looks closed. If he somehow stops scoring now, Barca probably won’t trigger the £26million buy option. But if he keeps this up, they’ll activate it the second it becomes available.
Both his goals against Olympiacos were fired in at the front post, leaving Konstantinos Tzolakis rooted to his line — instinctive, clinical, and vintage Rashford.
His second, from outside the box, was “finishing of the highest quality”, said TNT Sports’ Adam Virgo. It certainly was.
Next up for Rashford and Barcelona? Real Madrid in El Clasico. Delicious.
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