Barça achieves a crucial victory as Robert Lewandowski scores a hat-trick in the Champions League

(CNN) – Barcelona may not have a new permanent coach, but the Catalan club managed to beat Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Ansu Fati’s second-half goal ensured the visitor took the crucial three points to increase their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Incredibly, it was Barça’s first away win of the season after a series of poor performances that led to the dismissal of former manager Ronald Koeman.

The Catalan club’s interim coach, Sergi Barjuan, has taken over while the Blaugrana confirm Koeman’s formal replacement, who could be former player Xavi, according to reports.

“We all knew we had to win at any cost. The players were nervous before the game and now you look at them and their faces are different. Winning always helps and I hope we keep the momentum for the next game,” Barjuan told reporters.

Barcelona are second in Group E behind Bayern Munich, having lost their first two games in the competition this season.

‘The best striker in the world’

Bayern, meanwhile, have already qualified for the round of 16 after a resounding 5-2 win over Benfica on Tuesday.

Star forward Robert Lewandowski shone again in his 100th Champions League game, scoring a hat-trick.

The Polish superstar has scored 81 goals in the Champions League in his career, including four hat-tricks.

Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann said the 33-year-old Lewandowski should aim for the 100-goal mark and called his player the “best” striker in the world.

Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more than 100 goals in the most prestigious club competition in European football, but Nagelsmann did not want to compare Lewandowski to the two.

“I think all three were very impressive players in the last few years,” Nagelsmann told reporters after the game.

“I think Lewy can achieve a lot, also in old age, because of his physique, lifestyle and the way he lives as a footballer.

“He will continue to be the best striker in the world because he does everything possible to keep it that way.”

However, it was not all good news for Lewandowski, who missed a penalty against Benfica, his first failure in the Champions League.

His failed attempt was easily stopped by goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and the failure seemed to soften what looked like a perfect night.

“I don’t know if it was the perfect game because I missed a penalty,” Lewandowski said after the game.

“But it’s better to fail early than late in the game. Fortunately, we scored several more goals and got all three points.”

He added: “To be honest, I never thought I would play so many games in the Champions League and score so many goals.”