Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund: Match report & 4 talking points as Catalans destroy BVB

Barcelona obliterated Champions League quarter-final opponents Borussia Dortmund during Wednesday's first leg as they secured a mightily impressive 4-0 victory.

The Catalans have taken a gargantuan leap towards the semi-finals of this year's competition after producing a stunning performance spearheaded by their devastating forward triumvirate.

Robert Lewandowski's brace was sandwiched in between goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal as Barcelona tore their sub-par visitors to shreds ahead of next week's second leg in Germany.

How the game unfolded

The Catalans were unrelenting from the first kick as they smothered their overawed visitors, Yamal twice coming close to breaching Gregor Kobel's goal and Lewandowski stinging the stopper's palms shortly afterwards.

Barcelona eventually found a deserved opener midway through the first half and it was the Champions League's top goalscorer who poked home his 12th in the competition. Both centre-backs combined as Pau Cubarsi prodded Inigo Martinez's header towards the far post, before Raphinha, who was alarmingly close to being offside, applied an unnecessary finishing touch on the goal line.

Despite managing 68% possession during a dominant first half, Barcelona's sleepy defence almost gifted Dortmund a route back into proceedings late in the half. One of several promising chances went begging for Serhou Guirassy - who scored twice in the league phase duel - as he inexplicably miscued a volley from eight yards.

Any Dortmund momentum dissipated just three minutes after the restart, however, and it was Lewandowski who punished his former side. Barcelona's wide men linked up on this occasion as Yamal picked out Raphinha via a delicate delivery to the far post, with the Brazilian heading across the six-yard box to allow Lewandowski the simplest of finishes.

The two-goal buffer allowed Barcelona to play with a swagger that Dortmund simply couldn't handle and shortly after Fermin Lopez had struck the post, the hosts clinched a crucial and well-earned third. A sweeping move tore through the disjointed BVB press and Lewandowski was on hand to apply a clinical finish.

There was still time for things to get even worse for the dismal Dortmund as Yamal etched his name onto the scoresheet. The Spaniard finished a quick-fire breakaway in style to add some gloss to the scoreline and all but guarantee Barcelona their place in the Champions League semi-finals.

Player ratings

Check out the player ratings from Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund here.

Barcelona in dreamland

Barcelona's chief ambition heading into Wednesday's first leg was to earn a valuable cushion to take to Dortmund next week. Courtesy of an astonishing and clinical display, they have made the second leg almost entirely immaterial.

Bar the most miraculous comeback in football history, Barcelona have booked their place in the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 2018/19, showcasing the swagger that makes them one of the favourites to go all the way under Flick's tutelage.

A breathtaking attacking display left Dortmund battered and bruised, while their defensive resilience and well-oiled engine room facilitated such a phenomenal performance. It was simply the perfect evening for Barcelona.

Robert Lewandowski haunts Dortmund...again

Once hailed by Dortmund fans for his relentless goalscoring, Lewandowski is now feared like no other among the club's fanbase. The Poland international burned bridges with a staggering tally of goals against BVB during his time with Bayern Munich and he's now even tormenting his old side in Catalonia, too.

Two typical striker's finishes means he's now produced an eye-watering 29 goals in 28 matches against Dortmund throughout his career, sinking their hopes of reaching a second successive Champions League final this term.

Lewandowski is never shy in celebrating against Dortmund, bucking the trend of the 'respectful' modern professional, and one would expect him to have another chance to taunt the Signal Iduna Park faithful next week.

Wingers destroy Dortmund rearguard

Dortmund were understandably trepidatious about the prospect of facing Lewandowski and with good reason considering his decisive brace in Catalonia. But arguably more devastating were the fighter jets either side of the 36-year-old.

The opening ten minutes characterised the evening for Dortmund's forlorn full-backs Julian Ryerson and Ramy Bensebaini, who both found themselves shockingly exposed early doors by respective adversaries Raphinha and Yamal.

The blistering speed and sharp swivels of Barcelona's insatiable wide men proved a challenge too great for the Dortmund defenders, with Yamal coming close to a brace in the opening six minutes and Raphinha almost assisting an opener for Lewandowski moments later. From then on, any sense of defensive composure on the flanks was lost.

Raphinha and Yamal continued to torment and combined effortlessly to supply Lewandowski with his first of the evening, while they directly linked once more as the former assisted the latter for Barcelona's final effort of the night.

Two exceptional performances were the heartbeat of an astounding team display as Barcelona's wingers once again dazzled on the big stage.

Englishmen struggle abroad

Dortmund has become renowned as a safe haven for Brits abroad and two Englishmen donned yellow jerseys in Catalonia. Jamie Gittens was restored to the starting lineup out wide and Chelsea loanee Carney Chukwuemeka, who scored in the weekend victory over Freiburg, featured in midfield.

Unfortunately for the Anglophiles watching events unfold, there was little to raise the heart rate.

Chukwuemeka offered the brighter performance of the young duo and was full of energy during rare Dortmund forays forward. Had Guirassy not fluffed his lines with the goal gaping ten minutes from half-time, he could have grabbed an assist.

Gittens was less impressive, however, failing to get any change out of Alejandro Balde before similar struggles against Jules Kounde once swapping flanks. He was not the only one that floundered for the visitors, but the Englishman failed to provide even the slimmest of silver linings for the Germans.

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