Marcus Rashford stood tall in the Spotify Camp Nou. The English forward now has five goals in the Champions League and shares the lead for goalscoring in the competition alongside Fermín after his free kick goal for FC Barcelona. It wasn't just his first since the return to the Stadium, it also closed out a 4-1 win to help confirm their place in the top eight in the UCL League Phase. A perfect ending.
Five Champions League goals
It was the 84th minute in the Spotify Camp Nou when Marcus Rashford set himself to take the free kick that was slightly to the left of the area. His shot beat the wall and then keeper Dominik Kotarski. That was the English forward's fifth goal in this season's Champions League, making him level top scorer in the competition for the blaugranes with Fermín. He has also now added Copenhagen to the list of teams he has scored against in the Champions League this season, having got braces against both Newcastle and Olympiacos.
That was also the fifth free kick goal Rashford has scored in his career. The previous four all came with Manchester United, with the most recent also coming in the Champions League in the 2017/18 season away to Benfica.
Seeing FC Barcelona score a free kick goal was a real thrill. It was the first at the new Spotify Camp Nou and the first to break a streak in the Champions League since May 2019 when Leo Messi scored what was the most recent free kick goal in Europe's premier club competition. It was a superb free kick too, also at the Stadium, in the semi-final against Liverpool. 61 games and 35 attempts later, another free kick has been scored in the Champions League.
Another number 14 scored the last free kick goal for Barça
It hasn't been as long in all competitions, however: 52 games and 51 attempts. Last season Pablo Torre scored a free kick at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in October. It was matchday 10 of the 2024/25 LaLiga season, when the then number 14 scored a direct free kick against Sevilla, from a similar spot to Rashford against Copenhagen. A goal celebrated very heartily to round off a great night at the Spotify Camp Nou.