Barça shows its grit and achieves a high-profile victory against Dortmund (2-3)

Barça made a titanic effort to take the three points against Dortmund. In a very difficult match, the Catalans made a statement by overcoming a Borussia that was giving them a hard time. With Raphinha's goal and Ferrán's double, Flick maintains their record of victories against the black and yellow team.

FC Barcelona came to Signal Iduna Park with the intention of winning and not allowing their bad run in the league to affect their Champions League. In addition, they had the support of 3,200 fans who travelled to Germany to cheer on their team. In front of them was Borussia Dortmund, tied on 12 points in the standings with the Catalans and unbeaten this season in the 9 games they had played at home.

Fighting in the midfield as the first course

Despite the surprising black and yellow wall formed by the more than 75,000 local fans and the pressure exerted by the host team, Barça started the match very well. With plenty of personality, Flick's pupils moved the ball around in search of openings. In fact, in the first moments, the Blaugrana team even came dangerously close to the goal defended by Kobel, but without finding a clear shot.

The first chance of the match went to the Catalan team. Lamine Yamal, with a beautiful pass from outside, sent the ball into the area and Raphinha, running, finished off by diving at ground level, but his shot went slightly wide. Borussia soon responded, and in the 17th minute Sabitzer wasted a golden opportunity by sending a shot into the clouds, from the penalty spot, which came after a great foray into the area by Duranville.

In the Ruhr basin it was very cold, 3ºC real and 4ºC wind chill. However, the match warmed everyone up with the spectacle that both teams offered on the pitch. The match was mainly played in the centre of the pitch, where both teams were engaged in an intense tactical battle. Jules Koundé could have broken the deadlock with a powerful shot from inside the area after half an hour, but Kobel blocked the attempt.

Goal-fest unleashed

As soon as the second half began, Borussia Dortmund tried their medicine. Bynoe-Gittens, instead of letting Sabitzer carry the ball, took it himself, who was in an offside position. The play ended in a goal by Guirassy, ​​but it was disallowed. As if that were not enough, Dani Olmo slipped a pass to Raphinha who, with many metres ahead of him, galloped at full speed and beat Kobel with a low cross shot.

However, the joy of the Blaugrana team did not last long. Pau Cubarsí pushed Guirassy and the referee, who did not see the play, awarded a penalty on the recommendation of one of his assistants. The striker himself took responsibility and scored a goal with a powerful, low shot, close to Iñaki Peña's right post.

The goal against them made the FC Barcelona players very uncomfortable, while it gave Dortmund confidence. However, the home team did not know how to take advantage of the greater ease with which they began to play. Olmo warned them with a shot from the edge of the area after a pass from Raphinha, cleared by the host goalkeeper. A few minutes later, Ferrán Torres went from shark to mouse in the area and took advantage of a rebound from Kobel to send the ball into the back of the net. He has scored three goals since returning from injury.

Once again, the joy for the Catalan team was short-lived. A disconnection in the pressure allowed Yan Couto to filter a pass behind the culé defence. At that very moment, Cubarsí was taking a step forward. The defender's action benefited Gross, who appeared in the second line and, with Iñaki Peña coming on, gave a pass to Guirassy, ​​who pushed the ball into an empty net. Six goals in six games for the French striker in the Champions League.

The final minutes were destined for madness. Dortmund pressed, with the help of their tireless fans, and Barça suffered a lot. However, despite the fact that the home team constantly threatened Iñaki Peña's goal, a Barcelona counterattack after a Borusser corner was finished off with a cross shot by Ferrán Torres. Another bite from the insatiable 'Shark'.

In the few minutes that remained, Hansi Flick's pupils showed their grit and resisted Dortmund's desperate attempts. After four minutes of added time, the Blaugrana won their fifth consecutive game, something they had not achieved since the 20/21 season. FC Barcelona are now second in the league table, just 3 points behind Liverpool.

Match details

• Borussia Dortmund, 2: Kobel; Ryerson (Yan Couto, min. 46), Emre Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Sabitzer, Reyna (Gross, min. 73); Duranville (Malen, min. 73), Guirassy and Bynoe-Gittens.
• FC Barcelona, 3: Iñaki Peña; Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Balde; Casadó, Pedri (Eric García, min. 90+3); Lamine Yamal (Pau Víctor, min. 90), Dani Olmo (Fermín, min. 71), Raphinha (De Jong, min. 71); and Lewandowski (Ferrán, min. 71).
• Goals:  0-1 Raphinha (min. 53). 1-1 Guirassy (min. 60). 1-2 Ferrán (min. 75). 2-2 Guirassy (min. 78). 2-3 Ferrán (min. 85).
• Referee: François Leteixer (France). Showed the yellow card to the hosters Sabitzer, Nmecha, Yan Couto and Bensebaini and to the visitor Cubarsí.

After playing the last European match of 2024, FC Barcelona's next match will be in LaLiga, as this Sunday they will host Leganés. Follow the latest news from the Catalans on FCBN.