In a match that Barcelona had to win three times, they conquered Dortmund and took a giant step towards reaching the Champions League round of 16. In a game where they deserved to win and did, Flick's team was able to bounce back from each setback in the form of a tie to end up achieving a sensational victory. Goals from Raphinha, who had to leave the field injured, and the substitute Ferran Torres, who scored twice, proved crucial for the Blaugrana. Yes, the Barcelona team still makes youthful mistakes, but after their fifth consecutive victory in the tournament, they have risen among the elite and are currently second in the standings.
Barcelona played, closer to its best version than recently, to assert itself convincingly, but Borussia Dortmund equalized their first two advantages. With the third, they couldn't do it, and Barça is close to securing a spot in the knockout stages. It is only fair to applaud Flick, who did not hesitate to make changes in the last half hour and substitute key players so that Fermín and, above all, Ferran could be crucial. The result proves him right.
From the beginning, a whole Barcelona was seen. Because even though Dortmund forced a corner in just a few seconds, the blaugrana team entered the match very focused. With a mixture of vertical fever and intelligent control, Flick's team bit without the ball and combined with precision. With the ball, they occupied spaces well, with Olmo distributing play in the number ten position, with Balde and Koundé joyfully attacking the wing, with Lamine filtering passes and finishing plays, and with Pedri applying the pause.
The first twenty minutes of Barcelona were very promising. The goal was in the air but didn't come. It didn't come from a cross by Balde that Olmo and Lewandowski couldn't quite reach. Nor from a delivery by Lamine Yamal that Raphinha couldn't convert. Not even from a clear chance for the Brazilian, who sent a cross from Lamine just wide. Nor from three attempts by the Rocafonda winger, who was denied by the goalkeeper on the clearest opportunity. Not even from a sneaky shot by Koundé, venturing forward in attack.
Barça had done almost everything to take the lead, except for the most important thing: hitting the target. However, in their area, Iñaki Peña hardly had to intervene with his hands because Borussia wasn't creating much and kept falling offside. Only Duranville was causing problems for Balde on the right side of the German attack. A cross from him was sent over by Sabitzer with almost everything in his favor. The best player from the Ruhr's side, if we had to pick one, was the good goalkeeper Kobel, which said a lot about Barça's collective play, driven by 3,500 fans who were also making themselves heard.
Behind the set design and choreography of the yellow wall, the well-known and packed stands of the Signal Iduna Park, the unfinished symphony of a Barça that became somewhat disheartened by not getting the reward of a goal had arrived, reaching halftime more blurred but without any pressure.
Barça delivers the final blow after seeing how Dortmund equals their first two advantages
Flick's plan to bet on the starting eleven, that is, the same players who were on the field at the Villamarín, had momentarily recovered the intense and synchronized Barcelona of its great week against Bayern and Real Madrid. However, it remained to be seen whether forgiving their opponents would later come back to haunt them. In a competition as treacherous as the Champions League, especially away from home, wasting your opportunities can be very costly. Barcelona didn't do that. They had to suffer, but they pulled through in the end.
As the cold intensified and Borussia seemed to emerge, with more possession and ideas, Olmo played a deep pass to Raphinha, allowing the Brazilian to find himself alone in front of Kobel and beat him with a shot across goal. Once again, captain Raphinha was decisive, narrowly avoiding the offside trap. Flick's team took the lead. The Yellow Wall was momentarily silenced. The Barcelona fans celebrated. However, the joy would be short-lived as the equalizer came. It came in a stupid manner. Cubarsí committed a silly penalty by placing his hand on Guirassy's back. The same forward would convert it, marking Dortmund's first shot on target in the entire match.
Flick doesn't hesitate to withdraw heavyweight players, and the substitutes respond to him
The stadium was coming alive, Borussia was growing. It was a moment to show resilience and maturity for Barça, given that in previous games they had also let leads slip away. With the starting eleven exhausted, Flick understood that fresh legs were needed and didn't hesitate. Once again, Lewandowski, the weakest link in the team, and Olmo were left out, just like in Seville. Before leaving, the player from Terrassa wasted a great opportunity when he met Kobel. Raphinha also had to leave, this time due to the mentioned physical problems.
This time the substitutes responded to Flick because his Barça advanced again with the replacements as protagonists. Koundé crossed, Fermín shot in the heart of the area, and Ferran Torres pounced on the goalkeeper's rebound to score. The Andalusian and the Valencian had just come on, like De Jong.
But once again, Barça would not be able to hold onto the lead. Former Girona player Couto set up Gross, who came in from the second line and served the goal on a plate for Guirassy's brace. Borussia had repeated the formula of Celta and Betis to break the offside trap.
Things were looking grim, but Sahin's team grew so much that Barça dealt them a third blow with a lethal counterattack led by Pedri and finished off by the brilliant Lamine, who set up Ferran alone in front of the goalkeeper. The forward, with time and quality, slotted the ball into the net for his second goal of the night. Would Barça be able to hold onto the lead this time? The answer was yes. The Barcelona team is already envisioning the round of 16. What a night!
