Barça crushes Dortmund on a magical night at Montjuïc

BarcelonaThe Champions League, the competition that has so battered the fans' self-esteem in recent seasons, is now the engine that drives the hearts of all Barça fans with the greatest excitement. In a sluggish Lluís Companys stadium, on the most exciting night of the season, Barça defeated Dortmund (4-0) in the first leg of the quarterfinals and will travel to Germany with a significant goal advantage. Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal were the scorers on a night in which Fermín López catapulted a dynamite Barça attack. Last year's Champions League finalist was no match for a team advancing through Europe on a thrashing spree.

Barça's opening moments in the match were marvelous. Pure Hansi Flick signature. Electricity and chance after chance, spurring on a packed crowd that silenced the more than 2,800 Germans who had traveled to Montjuïc and, this time, truly cheered like they hadn't in a long time. The Blaugranas went all out and were a steamroller: in less than 10 minutes, they had already created three clear chances against a Dortmund side that was surviving thanks to Kobel's magnificent saves. The first to shine was an extra-motivated Lamine Yamal. The Blaugrana gem didn't even need five minutes to make a delightful diagonal run into the box and curl a shot past the goalkeeper with a good save.

Just a minute later, Yamal would return. A shot from Lamine Yamal left Bensebaini sitting on the ground, and with barely any angle, Yamal attempted a fantastic shot that grazed the goalkeeper's far post. Had the ball gone in, it would have defied the laws of gravity. The Barça star was the one who was rocking the roll, and everyone wanted to be part of a great collective performance during the opening minutes. All that was missing was the reward of a goal. Following Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, more mobile than usual, would try his luck and connect with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, assisted by an undetectable Raphinha. Kobel, once again, pulled off a feline save to stop the Pole's shot.

Raphinha opened the scoring.

After flying through the first few minutes, it seemed the Germans were finally able to shake off the pressure, but nothing like that. It was just a small oasis of peace until Ademeyi grabbed Kounde by his prominent mane of hair and the referee blew his whistle for a foul. The play, delivered by Fermín, who handled most of the set pieces, resulted in a headed assist at the far post by Iñigo in Cubarsí. The Estanyol defender deflected it into the goal, and the ball, with Kobel already overtaken, was bounding into the back of the net, but Raphinha, hungry, got his last touch. This added unnecessary drama to the situation, because the Brazilian was close to being offside, and the goal had to be reviewed. Once the shock was over, the goal added to Raphinha's personal tally: 12 Champions League goals, more than anyone else.

The visitors' main first-half attempt was a tragicomic move: Szczesny, swift, dived to the ground as Guirassy attempted a shot, but he spun around, and with the goalkeeper on edge, the Dortmund striker also failed to shoot. It was only in the final minutes of the first half that the Germans managed to get close to the Blaugrana goal. Barça allowed themselves a small concession at the end of the first half to slow down and catch their breath after another exhibition of physicality and football.

Barça finished the job in the second half

The restart began with a conspiracy by the Barça players: they had to finish the job and head to Germany with a good result. No sooner said than done, because the team stepped on the gas again, spurred on by Lamine Yamal, who punished Dortmund every time he appeared. The 17-year-old winger delivered a precise cross at the far post, which Raphinha headed home with an assist to the far post that Lewandowski slotted into the back of the net.

Barça wanted more and more, and on the counterattack, they got their third. A great recovery by De Jong, with Dortmund focused on attacking, preceded a fantastic one-two between a tireless Fermín and Lamine Yamal. The Andalusian passed the ball to Lewandowski for his double, sparking an explosion of emotion that shook the Montjuï stadium to its foundations.

The party wouldn't end there, because in another counterattack, the Blaugrana sealed the tie with a goal from Lamine Yamal, assisted by Raphinha. The star, determined to lead his team until they reached the Champions League summit, ended up asking for a substitution, and Ansu Fati played his first minutes since January. In a desperate attempt, Dortmund found the net, but it was offside. Barça will travel to Germany next week with their homework done and their hearts full of pride. What a wonderful feeling, to feel older in Europe again.