Rashford gets clear response from Spanish media as Barcelona move on from Messi

Marcus Rashford scored a spectacular free-kick for Barcelona as they came from behind to beat FC Copenhagen 4-1 in the Champions League, ending a drought dating back to Lionel Messi

While Manchester United look to get themselves back into the Champions League with their league performances, they already have a representative in this year's edition in the form of Marcus Rashford. Academy graduate Rashford is currently on loan at Barcelona - with a potential permanent transfer in the summer - and he found the net once more on Wednesday evening.

Rashford was given roughly 20 minutes as a substitute and grabbed Barca's fourth goal as they overturned a deficit to secure a 4-1 win against FC Copenhagen in their final league phase fixture. The result was vital in securing their direct passage to the round of 16, avoiding an extra play-off round, with either Monaco, Qarabag, Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United awaiting them.

Viktor Dadason put Copenhagen ahead early on at Camp Nou and it was a lead they maintained until half-time. However, second-half strikes from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha sent things back in Barca's favour before Rashford came off the bench to beat Copenhagen goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski with a late free-kick.

"We try to bring our best performances in the competition and we try to win," Rashford said following the victory. "So I think this is the aim for a club like Barca and we have this mentality to win all the games that we can, so we'll do our best to do this."

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Rashford's strike marked his fifth Champions League goal of the campaign, putting him level with Fermin Lopez as Barcelona's joint-leading scorer in the competition this season. His performance caught the eye of the Spanish press following the match, with the round of 16 potentially providing him a chance to impress against familiar opposition.

Marca

In Marca, Fernando Carnerero suggested this Barcelona display might not be enough for victory against stronger sides when the competition heats up in the knockout rounds. This was nothing to do with Rashford, though, with the writer's concerns centred mainly on the first-half showing before the Englishman made his impact.

"Barca continues to achieve its season objectives with a steady hand, though not without some struggles," Carnerero wrote. "While some concerns remain, such as the excessive number of goals conceded, their attacking prowess minimizes this problem and gets them out of many tight spots.

"In the Champions League group stage, the first goal was to reach the top eight – to avoid playing two extra matches in the packed February schedule – and they achieved this after defeating Copenhagen with much more effort than expected, as the score was a surprising 0-1 at halftime. They went all out in the second half and it paid off thanks to goals from Lewandowski, Lamine, Raphinha, and Rashford. This may not always be the case in later rounds and against tougher opponents."

Mundo Deportivo

Laura Aparicio described Rashford's free-kick as "spectacular" in Mundo Deportivo. Yet, the comeback triumph was primarily down to "The talent and brilliance of Lamine [Yamal], who carried the team on his shoulders."

MD also gave player ratings for Barcelona's squad, including those like Rashford who featured for only part of the game. The England international earned the label 'sniper' after converting that crucial late free-kick.

"His fifth Champions League goal made him Barca's joint European top scorer with Fermín," Xavier Munoz noted. "He achieved it with a stunning free kick, the fourth for the club since Messi's departure. The crossbar denied him another brace."

AS

Lionel Messi got a mention in Santi Gimenez's analysis for AS as well. "Barca continued their search for goals and Rashford managed to break the curse of direct free-kick goals since Messi left, scoring [to make it] 4-1 in that way," the assessment stated.

Indeed, this marked the first occasion any Barcelona player had netted a direct free-kick in the Champions League since 2019, when Messi found the net in the opening leg of their semi-final clash with Liverpool, while only a handful have achieved the feat in any competition. Also writing in AS, Sergi de Juan highlighted that the Catalan giants had attempted 50 free-kicks between those two successful strikes.

"Marcus Rashford achieved against Copenhagen what seemed impossible at Barcelona since Leo Messi's departure: scoring a free kick," he penned. "The English striker had already proven himself a specialist in this type of play at Manchester United, but he hadn't yet had the opportunity to score one for the Catalan club.

"He finally did so in the last Champions League group stage match, drawing the foul himself. He curled the free kick over the wall to the near post, deceiving the goalkeeper."

Sport

Sport highlighted Rashford's double against Newcastle in September when discussing what lies in wait for Barcelona. "Real Madrid will be worn down for two weeks (in the play-offs), while Barça can rest while awaiting the round of 16," journalist Ferran Correas noted.

"The Blaugrana know the names of the four teams they could face in the round of 16, including a tough opponent like the current champions, PSG. The other three are Newcastle, whom they already defeated away in the first match of this stage with a great performance from Rashford, Monaco, and Qarabag."

Jordi Gil made special mention of Rashford's late goal, which snuck in at the near post, writing in the same publication: "It was just a matter of running down the clock to secure a well-deserved European qualification in a Champions League that, in its first phase, has left a very positive impression. And even more so with Rashford's late free-kick goal."