Hansi Flick's Barcelona were ruthless and bulldozed Borussia Dortmund 4–0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Barcelona found a breakthrough in the 25th minute. Fermin López sent in a cross from a set-piece that Iñigo Martínez headed back towards Pau Cubarsí who tapped it in... or so it appeared. Before the ball could cross the goal line, Raphinha pounced to push it in. At first glance it looked like the Brazilian was offsides, which would've been a catastrophic mistake. After a VAR check, the goal was confirmed much to Raphinha's relief, who scored his Champions League leading 12th goal of the season.
The hosts doubled their lead quickly out of the tunnel. Barcelona's deadly front three combined as Lamine Yamal sent in a cross that Raphinha headed back towards Robert Lewandowski, who tucked it in reaching double figure goals in the Champions League for the fourth time in his career.
In the 66th minute, Yamal sent Fermín running and the 21-year-old cleverly cut it back for an incoming Lewandowski who bagged his brace with a powerful first-time finish. Barça's goal-fest continued 10 minutes later with a deadly counter-attack where Raphinha assisted Yamal who scored Barça's fourth.
The might of Barcelona's attacking machinery was on display in another brilliant performance from Flick's side. Now, the Catalans have one foot in the semifinals, taking a four goal advantage to the second leg next week.
Player ratings from Barcelona's win below.
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Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1)
Ratings Provided by FotMob
Player of the Match: Raphinha
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund: Player Ratings as Barca Have One Foot in Semifinals.
