Barcelona showed no mercy to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was a key factor in their resounding win. Barcelona made full use of their intimidating home support at Camp Nou. Even better, they scored four goals, putting themselves in excellent position to advance deep into the tournament.
Lewandowski, the leading scorer in the Spanish league so far with 25 goals this season, had a quiet World Cup. He proved that with a masterclass performance, scoring two against his old club. He has now reached a total of 40 goals this season, reaffirming the incredible scoring talent he possesses. According to Daily Mail, he scored 17 of his 105 career goals in Champions League when he played for Dortmund from 2011 until 2014. This particular accomplishment is a testament to his remarkable talent and precision in the contest.
Entering the match tied for the Champions League lead with 11 goals, Lewandowski wasted no time asserting himself. He scored the first goal in the 48th minute. After helping on his first goal, he proved his abilities as a finisher and playmaker, putting on a dribbling exhibition to create a second himself. In the 66th minute, he fired a rocket of a one-timer that upped his count significantly. With this phenomenal strike, he registered his 11th goal of the tournament.
In addition to Lewandowski, Raphinha was another star performer on the night, providing a deadly threat down Barcelona’s right flank. He netted one goal and one assist on the day, counting a Champions League-leading 12 goals already this season. In the 25th minute, Raphinha made no mistake, directing a shot through a forest of defenders and into the net. That’s when the home crowd went ballistic! He just wouldn’t stop scoring! That’s one goal in each of Barcelona’s past four Champions League knockout round matches, a stretch that has seen him score seven goals in the process of this marvelous streak.
Lamine Yamal came off the bench to get in on the scoring, giving Barcelona a fourth and putting an even greater dent in Dortmund’s hopes of progression. In truth, the German side never looked like stopping Barcelona’s constant firestorm. This pressing, up-tempo and in-your-face style has been the trademark of recent Barcelona championships.
Even with the impressive victory in hand, he was clear about how easy it is to rest on laurels going forward.
“In my head, I always want to be helping the team with my quality and my goals,” – Robert Lewandowski
As Barcelona head into the second leg of the quarterfinals, their confidence is sure to be bolstered by this dominant display. The team’s primary objective will be to maintain their forward bounce. Their goal is to advance to the semifinals of Europe’s top club competition, UEFA’s Champions League.
“We played very well, but we can’t be thinking about the semifinals yet,” – Robert Lewandowski
As Barcelona prepares for the second leg of the quarterfinals, their confidence is buoyed by this dominant display. The team will aim to maintain their momentum and secure a place in the semifinals of Europe’s premier club competition.
