Barcelona went behind to Copenhagen within just four minutes after lax defensive work allowed Mohamed Elyounoussi to play in 17-year-old Viktor Dadason, who rifled home the opener. It sparked an attacking onslaught from the hosts, for whom Dani Olmo was particularly industrious, but the visitors’ 4-5-1 formation was making life difficult for Barça - that pattern continued throughout the opening half-hour.
A lack of space and Copenhagen time-wasting drew Barça’s frustration, as did not being able to make the most of their 80%+ possession. Eric García rattled the crossbar for the hosts as they continued to push for an equaliser, whilst the Danes were still content to disrupt the flow with targeted fouls and occasional breaks forward.
With Birger Meling and Jordan Larsson anchoring the visiting midfield, they had still managed to contain the Catalans when the half-time whistle blew.
Dominik Kotarski had to be on his toes in the opening two minutes of the second half as both Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal fired in shots on target. Within seconds, though, a quick break forward saw Yamal cross for Robert Lewandowski, who tapped in his 107th UCL goal from close range.
Larsson’s curling effort reminded the hosts that the visitors still posed a threat if Barça’s high defensive line could be breached, and Joan García then produced a stunning point-blank save to thwart Elias Achouri.
Eventually, Barcelona secured the points with a pair of quickfire goals. Yamal’s deflected shot wrong-footed Kotarski on the hour to give the Blaugrana the lead, and Lewandowski then earned a penalty that Raphinha slammed home for a third goal.
The final stages were much more comfortable for Barça as a result, with Marcus Rashford bending home a beautiful free-kick late on. The result means that Copenhagen has still won just one of their 17 UEFA matches against Spanish sides (D6, L9), and they exit the competition as a result, having come into the encounter still in with a chance of progression.