Barcelona produced a blistering display to crush Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
A second-half masterclass saw goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal cap off an emphatic win that puts the Catalans firmly in control ahead of the return leg in Germany.
From the opening minute, Barca imposed themselves. Raphinha and Yamal were constant threats down the flanks, and it was no surprise when the home side eventually broke through.
The opener came in the 25th minute. Pau Cubarsi poked a loose ball toward goal and Raphinha was on hand to touch it over the line from close range – although the Brazilian was fortunate not to be flagged for offside.
That goal gave Barcelona a deserved 1-0 lead at half-time, having dominated possession and created a string of chances. Dortmund had their moments, with Guirassy and Jamie Gittens going close, but lacking the cutting edge in front of goal.
Barcelona came flying out after the interval, and within minutes had doubled their lead. Raphinha nodded a deep cross back across goal, and Lewandowski was there to head home from point-blank range against his former club in the 48th minute.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FULL TIME!!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️#BarçaBVB @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/CmtIQpXUm9— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 9, 2025
That goal proved the turning point, breaking Dortmund’s resistance and setting the tone for what would become a torrid second half for the Bundesliga side.
Just over fifteen minutes later, the Polish striker had his second. After some excellent link-up play down the right between Yamal and Fermin Lopez, the latter cut the ball back perfectly for Lewandowski to drill home Barca’s third. The tie already felt out of reach for Dortmund, but Barcelona weren’t done.
In the 77th minute, another lightning-fast counterattack sealed the rout. Brandt’s sloppy giveaway in midfield allowed Lewandowski to pounce and feed Raphinha, whose through ball found Yamal. The 17-year-old showed maturity beyond his years to take a perfect touch and slot past Gregor Kobel for the fourth.
Dortmund had a brief glimpse of consolation late on when Baier found the net from Reyna’s cutback, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
