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Barcelona’s Spanish ahead #19 Lamine Yamal have a good time celebrates scoring his group’s fourth purpose through the UEFA Champions League Quarter last First Leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and BVB Borussia Dortmund on the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on April 9, 2025. (Picture: AFP)
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Robert Lewandowski hit a brace to assist a devastating Barcelona rout Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in a one-sided Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
Hansi Flick’s Barca are a step away from reaching the semi-finals for the primary time since 2019 and prolonged their unbeaten run to 23 matches.
The five-time winners took the lead in opposition to final 12 months’s runners-up via red-hot winger Raphinha earlier than Lewandowski reached 40 targets for the season along with his double.
Teenager Lamine Yamal was an unstoppable drive all through and deftly prodded residence Barcelona’s fourth as Dortmund collapsed.
Barca, who final lifted the trophy in 2015, are aiming to seal a last 4 conflict in opposition to Inter Milan or Bayern Munich once they go to Germany subsequent Tuesday.
“I feel we performed very effectively however we have now yet another sport to go… we at all times wish to play our soccer and we wish to play it there and we’ll win,” Lewandowski instructed Movistar.
Flick warned his group that the job was not carried out but.
“You by no means know what is going to occur, soccer is a loopy sport, we have now to play like at this time,” he stated.
The coach chosen his typical aspect, with just one resolution to make — he opted for Fermin Lopez over Gavi in attacking midfield to help the dynamic ahead trio.
La Liga leaders Barcelona seized management from the beginning, opening the scoring after 25 minutes.
Lopez whipped a free-kick to the again publish, with Inigo Martinez nodding the ball in the direction of Pau Cubarsi, who turned it in the direction of purpose.
The younger defender’s effort beat Gregor Kobel and was heading over the road earlier than the match’s high scorer Raphinha slid in to verify, claiming his twelfth purpose.
The Brazilian winger confronted a nervous wait whereas VAR labored to substantiate his strike was onside.
“I used to be nervous on the primary purpose if I used to be offside, it’s good that it was legitimate,” stated Raphinha.
“I touched the ball earlier than the road and I apologised to Cubarsi, he instructed me to not fear, he would rely it as an help.”
Serhou Guirassy spurned a few massive possibilities for the guests to degree earlier than the break.
With Dortmund’s first slick attacking transfer of the sport, the ahead, who has 10 targets within the competitors, was performed in however snatched badly at a bouncing ball with simply Wojciech Szczesny to beat.
– ‘Easy errors’ –
Unsurprisingly Niko Kovac’s Dortmund got here to remorse Guirassy’s misses, with Lewandowski netting his tenth of the match early within the second half.
Yamal clipped a cross to Raphinha, who looped a header over to Lewandowski on the far publish to nod residence from just about beneath the crossbar three minutes after the interval.
Lopez struck the publish and lashed inches over as Barcelona looked for a 3rd to kill the tie off. It arrived after 66 minutes, with Lopez teeing up Lewandowski to drill residence on the close to publish.
This was the previous Dortmund striker’s twenty ninth purpose in 28 matches in opposition to his outdated membership, and his 99th in a Barcelona shirt since becoming a member of in 2022.
“I’m very pleased, 99 targets for the membership,” added Lewandowski.
“In my head I at all times haven’t simply successful, however serving to the group with my qualities, targets.
“I feel strikers at all times have to consider targets.”
Yamal, who had toyed with Dortmund’s defence all night time, deservedly acquired on the scoresheet because the guests left themselves large open and Raphinha despatched the teenager via on purpose.
The one fear for Barca was Yamal asking to get replaced within the last levels, though he was smiling as he was afforded an ovation.
“He’s fantastic, he had performed too many minutes (recently),” defined Flick.
Barca are aiming for a possible quadruple this season and on this proof, they are going to take some stopping.
Dortmund had been left licking their wounds.
“We weren’t cohesive sufficient, and what’s extra, we made easy errors — at this degree they’re punished harshly,” Dortmund’s Emre Can instructed DAZN.
“I feel we will do higher, even when (the Barca attackers) are so good, I do know that.”
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