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Marcus Rashford gave an amazing match-winning performance for Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League against Olympiacos, scoring a brace as they cruised to a 6-1 win at Montjuic.
Hansi Flick deployed Marcus Rashford as a striker vs Olympiacos
Conventionally a left winger, Rashford was used as a centre-forward against the Greek side, and he displayed his versatility on the night but also his commitment to the team's cause.
When questioned about his favorite position after the game, Rashford made it clear that he loves playing as a winger, but he is concentrated towards fulfilling the team's requirement. He told reporters:
"My preferred position? I prefer playing as a winger, but in the end, it doesn't matter much to me, it depends on the coach. I just want to help the team and give my all."
Rashford earned a penalty in the second half, which was converted by Lamine Yamal to provide Barcelona a 3-1 lead. The English forward went on to score a fourth with a great finish in the 74th minute before adding a sixth from the edge of the box in the 79th minute.
Rashford equals Kylian Mbappe's UCL goal tally
With two goals, Marcus Rashford equaled Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe as the player with most number of goals contributions (5) in the Champions League so far in this season.
Marcus Rashford reflects on Barcelona's worries
Barcelona were one of the highest-scoring teams on Tuesday, as 43 goals were scored in total across the nine UEFA Champions League games. Olympiacos were restricted to ten men in the 57th minute, which further titled the game in the Catalans' favor.
In a press conference, Rashford was questioned about his match-winning performance and the team's strong display.
“Of course, it’s a very easy team to enjoy the football,” he told UEFA. “I’m pleased with the performance today. In the second half especially, we used the spaces better. Of course, it’s difficult for them with ten men but we still have to do it. I think we used the spaces very well and the timing was better in the second half. I think the first half, the two goals were excellent, but in the second half I fell we could even score some more but I’m very happy with the second-half performance.
When questioned if Hansi Flick was happy with the team for increasing the level of intensity after Olympiacos were reduced to ten men, Rashford added:
“Yes, he’s very demanding of us. You’re right, the intensity is one of the main things. Not only the intensity but the intent to go and score goals. This is what we need to kill teams off. I think we are of course going to come against teams where it is difficult to break them down but with this team, we have some many goals coming from different areas of the pitch. Scoring goals is the least of our worries. So, we’ll just try to build on this performance today.”
In three UCL games played, Barcelona has amassed nine goals. Table toppers PSG currently lead the way for the most goals scored (13).
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