Laying down what was a sensational European marker on Wednesday evening, Barcelona put one foot firmly within the Champions League’s closing 4 as they cruised their approach to a 4-0 romp towards Borussia Dortmund.
Embarking on what has been a sensational rise to this point this calendar yr, Hansi Flick’s facet took a deserved lead halfway by the first-half because the red-hot Raphinha bundled dwelling from on the road.
In full management on both facet of the interval, ex-BVB striker Robert Lewandowski got here again to hang-out his former membership because the Polish record-breaker bagged an 18-minute brace.
Placing in what was a dominant show in Catalonia, 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal put the cherry on prime of the cake for Barca as their academy famous person notched a fourth Champions League strike of the season.
Firing on all cylinders and rightfully pencilled in as a real European contender this season, Flick’s camp will already be placing collectively their semi-final showdown towards both Inter Milan or Bayern Munich.
As for Dortmund, enduring what was an notorious evening beneath the intense lights in Spain, final yr’s Champions League finalists might be bracing themselves for a serious backlash once they return to rural Germany.
On an evening when Barcelona made a heavyweight assertion on dwelling soil, we’ve taken a have a look at the primary speaking factors from Catalonia.
Barca are a real European contender
Whereas some round Catalonia might need been shocked final summer season following Flick’s arrival, Barcelona have loved a exceptional rise beneath the previous Bayern Munich boss.
Holding a four-point buffer on the prime of the La Liga desk, some in Flick’s camp are dreaming of the possibility to finish an iconic European and home sweep in 2025.
Topped Tremendous Cup champions again in January following a well-known 5-2 victory towards arch-rivals Actual Madrid within the Center East, Wednesday’s hosts haven’t suffered a single defeat throughout any competitors to this point this calendar yr.
With the temper round Catalonia at a red-hot excessive, Barcelona’s rampant efficiency right here would have actually despatched shockwaves throughout the continent.
Breezing previous final yr’s Champions League finalists in midweek and laying down what was a serious assertion of intent, Flick couldn’t have dreamt of a greater evening towards his former Bundesliga foes.
A nightmare in Catalonia for BVB
Presently sat eighth within the Bundesliga standings and holding only a two-point buffer from slipping out the top-half, it’s no secret that Borussia Dortmund have positioned all of their eggs within the European basket.
Though Niko Kovac’s facet might need picked up some main momentum final weekend as they stormed their approach to a 4-1 win away at Freiburg, the previous Monaco boss noticed his squad come crashing again all the way down to earth in an notorious trend right here.
With their European goals actually going up in smoke right here, Wednesday’s visitors look set for much more backlash over the approaching days.
Looking for what could be an iconic Champions League miracle once they return to rural Germany subsequent week, Dortmund have struggled to search out a lot European stability on dwelling soil.
Signing off their group stage journey with a 0-0 stalemate towards Sporting Lisbon on February nineteenth, BVB have registered only a sole victory from their earlier 4 Champions League showdowns at Sign Iduna Park.
One other evening and one other European objective for Raphinha
Whereas all of Barca’s attacking superstars might need run rampant on Wednesday evening, it was their Brazilian ace who as soon as once more spearheaded Flick’s Champions League cost.
Though Raphinha might need been linked with a possible transfer away from Catalonia final summer season, the previous Leeds talisman has rapidly blossomed into one in every of Europe’s hottest stars.
With many billing the 28-year-old as a real Ballon d’Or contender, Raphinha additionally posted a pair of European assists to go along with his twelfth Champions League objective of the season right here.
Tapping from principally on the road and opening the scoring, the Brazilian worldwide has supplied 19 direct objective contributions in his 11 Champions League appearances this yr.
Remarkably averaging a European strike each 77 minutes and main the chase for the Golden Boot, Raphinha has a number one function to play in Barca’s cost for Champions League glory.
Match Report
Barcelona: Szczesny, Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde, de Jong, Pedri, Lopez, Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Subs: Garcia, Fati, Torres, Gavi, Araujo
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Ryerson, Can, Anton, Bensebaini, Nmecha, Chukwuemeka, Brandt, Gittens, Adeyemi, Guirassy
Subs: Sule, Duranville, Beier, Reyna, Ozcan
Objectives: Raphinha (25’), Lewandowski (48’, 66’), Yamal (77’)
Yellow Playing cards: Adeyemi, Guirassy
Pink Playing cards: N/A
Referee: Espen Eskas
