BARCELONA -- A blistering Barcelona side blew Borussia Dortmund gone to the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, putting them close to their first UEFA Champions League They achieved this feat starting from 2019, thanks to scores from each member of their formidable forward line. Raphinha opened the scoring, Robert Lewandowski netted twice, and Lamine Yamal completed the 4-0 win late on.
The second leg is yet to be played in Dortmund next week, but it seems unlikely that Barcelona will fail to secure a spot in the final four, where they could potentially face Bayern Munich or Internazionale This is a Barcelona squad that plays cohesively, puts in great effort for one another, and crucially boasts an offense that consistently racks up scores.
One thing Coach Hansi Flick admires most about this squad is their relentless drive. They always keep pushing forward without holding back.
Flick stated back in January, during the beginning of Barcelona’s undefeated streak that has now reached 23 matches across all competitions, 'It isn’t over at 2-0 or 3-0.' He added, 'They keep playing until the final whistle. That’s what I admire and what we enjoy.'
That will be the guiding principle in Germany next week.
After the match, Lewandowski stated to journalists, 'I believe we performed exceptionally well, yet we still have another game ahead of us. Our aim is to continue playing our style and emerge victorious when we head over there. Winning has always been our target.'
If you hold a 4-0 advantage at halftime in this match, you should maintain that level of play in the second half when playing in Dortmund. Ideally, aim for improvement. This is the UEFA Champions League, and we consistently strive to perform at our peak.
A great starting point would be Lewandowski. With his two-goal performance, he reached 40 goals for the season and scored his 99th for Barcelona at the impressive age of 36. Frequently overshadowed by the brilliance of Raphinha and Dembélé playing alongside him, he continues to shine. Pedri Manipulating play from midfield, yet he is consistently present against Dortmund.
His previous team must be tired of seeing him around. He scored Barça's second goal here and contributed another one with a precise shot following some great play from Yamal and Fermín López Both objectives were met with wild celebrations even though he had played for Dortmund for four years prior to joining Bayern Munich in 2014. Since then, he has scored an impressive 29 goals in just 28 matches against his former team.
Meanwhile, Raphinha is experiencing an exceptional Champions League campaign. Leading the tournament with 12 goals—just ahead of Lewandowski’s tally of 11—he has amassed a total of 19 goal contributions. This performance marks the highest by any Brazilian player and matches the record set previously. Lionel Messi His top European performance with the Catalan club so far has been this one against Dortmund — arguably his most straightforward yet, though it also led to a tense moment when VAR reviewed the play for offside. Pau Cubarsí When his touch was advancing, the Brazilian slid in to ensure it didn’t cross over. The review later confirmed he was indeed onside.
I had concerns about being offside during the first goal, but it turned out to be valid. Raphinha told reporters I apologized to Cubarsi. He said not to worry about it; he would consider it an assist. I believed the ball was heading out of bounds, so it was a spontaneous choice.
These statistics match some of the finest offensive performances seen in the UEFA Champions League during the 21st century. Raphinha and Lewandowski stand as the first pair of teammates to each net 10 or more goals in a single season within this prestigious tournament since. Mohamed Salah , Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané managed the feat for Liverpool In the 2017-18 season, the most recent Barcelona duo to each score ten goals or more consisted of Messi and another player. Neymar In 2014-15, the previous time the Blaugrana won the competition.
Then there’s Yamal, the pioneer who was the first player to net multiple times in the Champions League knockout stages at such a young age—before his 18th birthday. From the outset, he relentlessly tormented Dortmund. Quite impressive. Gregor Kobel saved him from being on the field until the fifth minute; subsequently, he bent his shot over and later assisted Raphinha, who fired the ball into the side netting.
The pass to López during the buildup for Lewandowski's second goal was also magnificent, and he concluded his evening by scoring his 14th goal of the season, delighting the fans with a dance alongside the left-back. Alejandro Balde To celebrate another four-goal performance from Barça.
It marks the 21st instance this campaign where Flick's squad has managed to score four or more goals in a single match. Across their 48 fixtures, they have found the back of the net 36 times in just 11 UEFA Champions League outings, amassing an impressive average of more than three goals per game. This tally stands as much as seven goals higher compared to any other team—despite having played at least two less games overall.
That's when teams will aim to capitalize if they want to break their undefeated streak. The Dortmund forward is key to this. Serhou Guirassy he missed three scoring opportunities near the end of the first half. Had any one of those goals gone in, the outcome might have been entirely different.
The visitors also had opportunities toward the end of the game. Wojciech Szczęsny saved from United States international Giovanni Reyna And a last-minute goal was disallowed due to offside, yet there would be no late consolation for Niko Kovač's team to bring back to Germany. Other teams might not be as inefficient, but preventing Barcelona from scoring is quite another challenge.
Wednesday's high-scoring match, despite the ongoing efforts ahead, won't quiet speculation about achieving a treble. Barcelona has already secured their place in the next round. Copa del Rey ultimately on April 26, when they will encounter Real Madrid while simultaneously leading LaLiga By a margin of four points with eight matches remaining. And they now have one foot in the Champions League semifinals.
If you suggest that another team will triumph, I'm not sure why you bother stepping onto the field to compete with us for victory and securing the treble," Yamal said to Diwida this week. "We are Barcelona. It has been done before [in 2009 and 2015], and let’s hope we achieve it once more.
