Raphinha matched Lionel Messi’s long-standing record for goal involvements in a single Champions League campaign, as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund to take a commanding lead in their quarter-final tie.
The Brazilian winger scored once and provided two assists, bringing his tally for the season to 19 goal involvements in Europe’s premier competition – the same as Messi achieved during the 2011-12 campaign.
Raphinha’s 12th goal of the season put Barcelona ahead in the first half, before Robert Lewandowski struck twice and 17-year-old Lamine Yamal added a fourth after the break, leaving the Spanish giants on course for the semi-finals.
Barcelona started the match at a blistering pace, and within the first seven minutes, they could have been three goals up. Yamal and Lewandowski both tested Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with smart saves.
It wasn’t until the 25th minute that the breakthrough came, although the goal had an element of fortune. A free-kick, awarded after Karim Adeyemi tugged Jules Kounde’s hair, found Inigo Martinez at the far post. The centre-back nodded the ball across goal, and though it was initially cleared, Pau Cubarsi was able to poke it towards the corner, with Raphinha just staying onside to finish from close range.
Dortmund grew into the game as the half went on, with Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy both going close as the break approached, but it was Barcelona who struck again after the restart.
Just three minutes into the second half, Lewandowski doubled the lead, tapping in from a yard out after Raphinha’s header across goal from a Yamal cross.
As Dortmund began to unravel, Barcelona were presented with further opportunities. Fermin Lopez was unlucky to see a powerful strike from 16 yards out hit the outside of the post, before he blazed a rebound high over the bar just a minute later.
Lewandowski put the tie beyond doubt in the 66th minute, finishing off a lightning counter-attack with a clinical first-time strike past Kobel, marking his 99th goal for Barcelona.
Raphinha then matched Messi’s record by providing the assist for Yamal’s 77th-minute goal, sliding the ball across to the teenager to finish another rapid counter-attack.
Barcelona’s Fearsome Attack Fires on All Cylinders
While the final scoreline tells of a dominant display, Barcelona could have easily been out of sight by half-time, such was the ease with which they carved open Dortmund’s defence.
Raphinha and Yamal tormented the German side on the flanks, though the latter wasn’t quite at his lethal best. The 17-year-old, who became the youngest player ever to make 20 starts in the Champions League, forced Kobel into a comfortable save early on but later squandered a golden opportunity when he lashed wide from a tight angle, having failed to square it to Lewandowski for a tap-in.
Dortmund, to their credit, managed to create chances of their own, registering 10 shots on target and dominating possession. However, despite their efforts, they were consistently caught out by Barcelona’s high defensive line. Guirassy, Dortmund’s top scorer with 10 Champions League goals this season, was unable to make the most of his opportunities, with several of his attempts blocked.
Barcelona, however, showed little sign of switching off and defended resolutely to maintain their commanding four-goal lead. In the final minutes, substitute Ronald Araujo produced a fine double block to deny Dortmund a potential consolation goal.
The visitors thought they had a goal back in the 89th minute when Maximilian Beier slotted home Giovanni Reyna’s cut-back, but the offside flag was quickly raised, and the scoreline remained unchanged.
Despite Dortmund’s persistence, it was a night dominated by Raphinha and Barcelona’s potent forward line, who now head to Germany for the second leg with one foot firmly in the semi-finals. The return leg at Signal Iduna Park takes place on Tuesday, 15 April.
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