BVB made the trip to Barcelona this evening for the first-leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie which ended in a 4-0 defeat for Kovač’s side.
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Borussia Dortmund slumped to a quarter-final first-leg crushing at the hands of Hansi Flick’s ruthless Barcelona side. Despite enjoying some decent spells, BVB struggled to cope with the speed, ferocity and relentlessness on display from the Catalan giants. A result which presents the Bundesliga club with a mountain to climb in the second-leg next Tuesday.
Dortmund found a foothold hard to come by in the opening exchanges as the hosts assumed control. Twice the blistering feet of Yamine Lamal demonstrated his threat. The 17-year-old tested Gregor Kobel with a curling effort from the left, with his next attempt skipping past Bensebaini up the end line and whipping the ball past the rear post.
Although BVB’s Swiss shot-stopper came to the rescue minutes later to tap over Robert Lewandowski’s shot, there was nothing he could do about the opening goal. A 22nd-minute corner yielded the opener for the Catalans as Pau Cubarsí flicked it goal-ward for Raphinha to divert home at the back post. A lengthy VAR check couldn’t save Kovač’s men as Guirassy played the Brazilian onside.
For all of Barca’s chances, Dortmund strung some reasonable passes together with their limited possession. Guirassy fluffed a brilliant chance after delightful one-touch play shortly after the half-hour, before Jamie Gittens tested Szczesny with a low drive. A final chance for BVB’s Guinean marksman rattled the side netting as the half-time whistle blew.
Undoubtedly Niko Kovač would have hoped for a strong start after the break, but Die Schwarzgelben found themselves 2-0 down. Once again, the Barca front three ran riot as Yamal picked out Raphinha at the back stick. The skipper nodding it down for Lewandowski to punish his former employers with a tap-in.
While the game entered a lull around the hour, BVB could have been further behind. Emre Can’s careless clearance fell to Fermin Lopez whose effort clipped the post. Eventually it became 3-0 when Hansi Flick’s men struck on the break. Lopez cut it back for Lewandowski as the Pole drilled low and hard beneath Kobel’s left paw.
Things went from bad to worse for Dortmund in the 77th-minute. Julian Brandt’s misplaced backpass was pounced on by Raphinha. The Brazilian unselfishly fed Yamal who clipped it into the lower-left corner beyond the best attempts of the sliding Bensebaini. Although it appeared Beier bagged a late consolation goal, VAR would intervene on what summed up Dortmund’s fortunes on the night.
