Dortmund 3-1 Barcelona: Flick's team makes the most of the first-leg advantage on a complicated night

FC Barcelona are now in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. The Blaugrana made the most of their advantage from the first leg and, despite losing 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund, edged out of the tie 5-3 on aggregate. Led by Hansi Flick, the Catalans are back in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time in six years and maintain their hopes of going for the treble.

In the next round, the last before the final in Munich, they face Inter Milan or Bayern Munich. The Bavarians already suffered a harsh defeat from Barça in the group stage (4-1), while the Nerazzurri, who also have a chance of winning the treble, maintain the tournament's best defense and head into the second leg in Italy with a 2-1 advantage.

Barça suffered in Dortmund

An own goal by Rami Bensebaini, protagonist before the break for a clear penalty not sanctioned on Robert Lewandowski, tipped the balance in favor of the Catalans in the second half, just after the hosts had made it 2-0. Niko Kovac's team did well in pressing and attacking, but Barça was never in danger of squandering the 4-0 first-leg advantage.

Hansi Flick took advantage of the first-leg lead to rest Iñigo Martínez and Pedri. Ronald Araujo and Gavi returned to the XI, along with Gerard Martín, a solution to Alejandro Balde's absence. Nico Kovac, on the other hand, went out with three forwards (Beier, Adeyemi and Guirassy), along with Pascal Groß, suspended in the first leg, and Yan Couto as right back. 

Dortmund, as expected, came out to suffocate Barça installed in the rival field. The 'culés' had problems getting out with possession and the resistance of the 'culé' defense did not last too long. In the 3rd minute came the first clear chance for the locals, with a cross from the right by Adeyemi that complicated Cubarsí when trying to avoid Guirassy's header. Gerard Martín appeared to clear a loose ball in the small area near the goal line.

Guirassy scored the first goal for Dortmund in the penalty shootout

The locals continued with their high pressure and, in the 10th minute, Pascal Groß broke the offside trap to stand before Szczesny. The 'azulgrana' goalkeeper came out quickly to close down, but ended up knocking down the midfielder. Jules Koundé was caught, enabling the '13', with which the VAR ratified the decision of the main referee Maurizio Mariani. Guirassy took charge of the penalty, chipping the ball 'a lo Panenka' to open the scoring.

Barça struggled to assimilate the goal against them, but Dortmund gradually lowered the intensity in the pressure. In the 16th minute, Groß scored a goal in a clear offside position, while Fermín López had the first clear chance for the 'culés' seven minutes later, with a shot to the side of the net after a good assist from Lamine Yamal.

Borussia found it easy to arrive from the right, while Adeyemi complicated Koundé. With a Barcelona much more erratic with the ball in the absence of Pedri, the Germans controlled the advantage without too many scares. Not in vain, the first long possession of the 'azulgrana' team came about half an hour into the match, in an action wasted by Raphinha. 

In the 36th minute, the locals again generated danger with a shot from Adeyemi from the left cleared by Szczesny. Barça reacted with a free kick from Raphinha that almost ended in a goal by Koundé, but the defender's control went long. In the final minutes of the first half, there were few arrivals, with the exception of a clear grab by Bensebaini on Lewandowski that the main referee, in an unusual way, considered an attacking foul. Thus, the match went 1-0 at halftime.

An own goal by Bensebaini restored tranquility to Barça

Barça continued without finding clarity in the first stages of the complement and Dortmund soon extended the advantage. After a rehearsed play, Bensebaini enabled Guirassy to score his second of the night pushing the ball at will inside the small area. Raphinha tried to avoid the goal, but doing so would have been sent off for touching the leather with his hand.

The locals seemed launched for the heroic, but the madness in the Signal Iduna Park only lasted five minutes. In the 55th minute, a cross from Fermín from the right for Lewandowski, after a good filtered pass from Koundé, ended in an own goal by Bensebaini. The Algerian arrived in time to clear, but ended up shooting Kobel accidentally.

As in Butarque, a good play by Barça down the wing served to unlock a very complicated match thanks to an own goal, where Flick's team lacked clarity in the opponent's half to develop their usual good game. With 5-2 on aggregate, Dortmund lost the emotional push with which they started the complement, where Szczesny had already avoided the fall of his goal with two remarkable saves to Adeyemi and Groß.

Guirassy encouraged Dortmund again in the final stretch

With the score at 2-1, Flick put Pedri in for Gavi and, afterwards, Ferran Torres and Eric García came in for Fermín and a disconnected Lamine Yamal in attack. Borussia seemed to have given up, but another goal from Serhou Guirassy in the 76th minute, to complete his personal 'hat-trick', once again generated uncertainty in the 'azulgrana' team. The Guinean took advantage of a bad clearance by Araujo after an overflow by the entered Duranville from the left, to shoot Szczesny.

Barça tried to react from a set piece, with a shot from Eric García that went just over the crossbar. Five minutes from the end, Dani Olmo entered for Lewandowski to try to regain control of the midfield, the main problem of a Barcelona that never managed to take control of the game. In the end, everything remained a scare and, although the unbeaten run of 24 games this 2025 and the invincibility of 'Tek' fell, the important thing is that the team is in the 'semis' of the Champions League.

With more suffering than expected, yes, but against a Dortmund that made its history count to sell the elimination dearly. The current champion has fallen. Will Real Madrid do it this Wednesday? 'Merengues' or whites already know that, in the next phase, a Paris Saint-Germain awaits them that also took advantage of the first-leg advantage to advance, with drama, against Aston Villa (5-4 on aggregate).

Match sheet of the match: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 FC Barcelona

• Borussia Dortmund, 3: Kobel; Süle, Anton, Bensebaini; Yan Couto (Brandt, min. 77), Groß, Nmecha (Reyna, min. 64), Svensson; Adeyemi (Gittens, min 77), Beier (Duranville, min. 64) and Guirassy.
• FC Barcelona, 1: Szczesny; Koundé, Araujo, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín; De Jong, Gavi (Pedri, min. 60), Fermín (Ferran, min. 70); Lamine Yamal (Eric García, min. 70), Raphinha and Lewandowski (Olmo, min. 85).
• Goals: 1-0, Serhou Guirassy (min. 11, p.); 2-0, Serhou Guirassy (min. 50); 2-1, Rami Bensebaini (min. 55, o.g.); 3-1, Serhou Guirassy (min. 76).
• Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy). He sanctioned a penalty by Szczesny in the 10th minute. In Barça, he cautioned Frenkie de Jong in the first half. In the complement, he cautioned Nmecha for Dortmund.
• Stadium: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund).
• Incidents: second leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25.