Dortmund's dark night: the German press praises Barça and punishes its team

The defeat of Borussia Dortmund against FC Barcelona has been received with a large dose of frustration in the German press. And it is not for less: the azulgrana team swept the German team with a resounding 4-0 that, except for a miracle at Signal Iduna Park, leaves those led by Niko Kovač practically out of the 'semis' of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25.

The German sports media have been especially harsh with the performance of Dortmund. For example, the newspaper 'BILD' titled the painful defeat as: "Brutal fall of BVB", accompanied by the subtitle "No chance against Barcelona". In its analysis, it highlighted how Robert Lewandowski punished his former team again with a simply stellar performance.

The press highlights Barça's trident

For its part, 'Der Spiegel' was somewhat more moderate and preferred to focus on the merit of FC Barcelona. They highlighted the role of Lamine Yamal with a headline that said: "Yamal, the Barcelona prodigy, makes BVB spin". The subtitle, however, hinted at the pessimism: "Barça has not lost since December and now BVB has had to learn the hard way in the first leg of the quarterfinals why FC Barcelona is so strong at the moment. One answer is the attacking trio: Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski".

'Kicker', another reference media in Germany, opened its chronicle with a lukewarm: "Flick's powerful team gives Dortmund no options", although it was much more categorical in its subtitle, suggesting that the tie is already decided: "Thanks to a deserved 4-0 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinals against Borussia Dortmund, FC Barcelona already has one foot in the semifinals of the top category".

Lamine Yamal, the image of the German disaster

The television network 'NTV' was no more benevolent. In its coverage, it titled: "Defeat in the Champions League against Hansi Flick: Borussia Dortmund collapses against FC Barcelona". The media illustrated the publication on social networks with an image of Lamine Yamal, symbol of the azulgrana dominance on the European night.

Finally, 'Die Welt' summarized the general feeling with the headline: "Barcelona and Lewandowski sweep Dortmund". In its chronicle, they stressed that the situation is not encouraging for the German teams in this round of the Champions League. According to the media, Borussia Dortmund was widely surpassed in all aspects of the game and failed to find answers in the 90 minutes of the match. With that panorama, the hopes for the return leg are minimal.

Is there room for a miracle?

The German press, for the most part, considers the tie to be decided. The atmosphere that is breathed is one of resignation, with few signs of optimism regarding the return match. Will Borussia Dortmund be able to stage a historic comeback at home? For now, everything points to the fact that FC Barcelona already has half a ticket to the semifinals.