Barcelona’s Polish ahead Robert Lewandowski (C) celebrates scoring his crew’s second aim within the rout of Dortmund (Josep LAGO)
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.
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The five-time winners took the lead towards final 12 months’s runners-up via red-hot winger Raphinha earlier than Lewandowski reached 40 objectives for the season along with his double.
Teenager Lamine Yamal was an unstoppable power all through and deftly prodded dwelling Barcelona’s fourth as Dortmund collapsed.
Barca, who final lifted the trophy in 2015 are aiming to seal a closing 4 conflict towards Inter Milan or Bayern Munich once they go to Germany subsequent Tuesday.
“I believe we performed very nicely however we’ve got another recreation to go… we at all times need to play our soccer and we need to play it there and we’ll win,” Lewandowski advised Movistar.
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Flick warned his crew that the job was not executed but.
“You by no means know what’s going to occur, soccer is a loopy sport, we’ve got to play like at this time,” he mentioned.
The coach chosen his typical aspect, with just one determination to make — he opted for Fermin Lopez over Gavi in attacking midfield to assist 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 put up, with Inigo Martinez nodding the ball in the direction of Pau Cubarsi, who turned it in the direction of aim.
The younger defender’s effort beat Gregor Kobel and was heading over the road earlier than the match’s prime scorer Raphinha slid in to verify, claiming his twelfth aim.
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The Brazilian winger confronted a nervous wait whereas VAR labored to verify his strike was onside.
“I used to be frightened on the primary aim if I used to be offside, it is good that it was legitimate,” mentioned Raphinha.
“I touched the ball earlier than the road and I apologised to Cubarsi, he advised me to not fear, he would depend it as an help.”
Serhou Guirassy spurned a few massive probabilities for the guests to stage earlier than the break.
With Dortmund’s first slick attacking transfer of the sport, the ahead, who has 10 objectives within the competitors, was performed in however snatched badly at a bouncing ball with simply Wojciech Szczesny to beat.
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– ‘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 put up to nod dwelling from just about underneath the crossbar three minutes after the interval.
Lopez struck the put up 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 dwelling on the close to put up.
This was the previous Dortmund striker’s twenty ninth aim in 28 matches towards his outdated membership, and his 99th in a Barcelona shirt since becoming a member of in 2022.
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“I’m very completely satisfied, 99 objectives for the membership,” added Lewandowski.
“In my head I at all times haven’t simply successful, however serving to the crew with my qualities, objectives.
“I believe strikers at all times have to consider objectives.”
Yamal, who had toyed with Dortmund’s defence all evening, deservedly bought on the scoresheet because the guests left themselves large open and Raphinha despatched the teenager via on aim.
The one fear for Barca was Yamal asking to get replaced within the closing phases, though he was smiling as he was afforded an ovation.
“He is superb, he had performed too many minutes (these days),” defined Flick.
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Barca are aiming for a possible quadruple this season and on this proof, they’ll 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 stage they’re punished harshly,” Dortmund’s Emre Can advised DAZN.
“I believe we will do higher, even when (the Barca attackers) are so good, I do know that.”
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