Problems? Without Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Olmo all at once

Published:11/12/2024 - 22:51h

Updated:12/12/2024 - 02:32h

Hansi Flick surprised with a triple substitution in the second half against Borussia Dortmund. The German did not hesitate to take out three of his offensive leaders at once in search of victory

Hansi Flick surprised in the second half of the Borussia Dortmund-FC Barcelona with a triple substitution 20 minutes before the end. The coach took out Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha, the latter two being key in the play of the first Barcelona goal (assist from the Spaniard and finish from the Brazilian). Of the three, the only one who, at that moment, was making a case to be substituted was the Pole.

And it is that 'Lewy' did not have his night on a field he knows perfectly and where he had outstanding records. The '9' struggled to get into the game and barely attempted with a couple of shots, one high and another blocked by a rival. Olmo, on the other hand, was responsible for giving meaning to Barcelona's long possessions and rubbed the lamp in the 52' with a pass into space to leave Raphinha one-on-one.

Raphinha left with discomfort in Dortmund

The Brazilian finished with the quality that characterizes him, breaking the offside to shoot across against Kobel's exit. However, the '11' seemed to injure his right calf a minute after providing a great pass to Dani that almost ended in a goal for '20', were it not for Kobel's intervention.

The captain left with signs of pain and handed the armband to Frenkie de Jong, receiving ice on the affected area while resting on the bench. We will have to wait until Thursday to determine if it is a strain or a more serious problem for one of Barcelona's key figures this season. With his goal in Dortmund, Rapha equaled Lewandowski in the Champions scoring table, with 7 goals.

Ferran, once again timely for Barcelona

Without Robert on the field, Ferran Torres took on the role of the only reference in the area, a task he fulfilled excellently. The player from Foiós scored a brace purely out of opportunism, first picking up a rebound from Kobel after a powerful shot from Fermín López in the 75'. Ten minutes later, when Barcelona was struggling defensively, he took advantage of a great pass from Lamine Yamal, following a mistake by Borussia in their own half, to finish across against the local goalkeeper and silence Signal Iduna Park.