Barcelona’s win over Borussia Dortmund last night was anything but smooth. The Blaugrana were solid in their approach and maintained a good offside trap, but the hosts did not make it easy.
Captain Raphinha opened the scoring for Barcelona in the second half but Nuri Sahin’s men found a way back after winning a penalty almost instantly through Serhou Guirassy.
Ferran Torres then fired the Blaugrana into the lead once more, only for the Dortmund striker to capitalise on Inaki Pena’s compromised position and fire the Germans back on level terms.
Eventually, however, Ferran completed his brace with a composed finish after Lamine Yamal’s ludicrous assist and ensured that his team took home a much-needed win.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona.
An invaluable win
Playing at Signal Iduna Park is one of the most daunting feelings in football for the stadium is nothing short of a fortress for Borussia Dortmund.
Pitted against the Germans in their home ground, Barcelona were never going to have it easy against Nuri Sahin’s men and it was widely seen as their most complicated remaining UCL fixture.
To take away three points from the stadium is massive for Hansi Flick’s men, primarily from the standpoint of the leaderboard.
Ahead of last night’s clash, Dortmund were on level points with Barcelona with 12 points after four games. The win, however, takes the Catalans to 15 out of a possible 18 points in the competition and places them in sole second place.
With two more rounds to go, Barcelona are just one win away from securing a place in the top 8 and directly qualifying for the Round of 16 in what is a massive relief for the club.
After all, the schedule is hectic and to skip two games comes as a big letoff for the Blaugrana. Playing against Benfica and Atalanta next, they will not have it easy but can back themselves to take at least three points from the six.
The win over Dortmund, in that sense, is invaluable for it virtually ensures that the team qualify directly without the extra round.
The ‘shark’ strikes
Ferran stepping up. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Having taken both Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha off after Dortmund’s equalizer, Hansi Flick came under the spotlight for his decision as the team had no bonafide goalscorer to close out the game.
The manager’s decision, however, paid off as Ferran Torres stepped up for the Catalans and delivered when it mattered most.
Despite all the noise around the Spaniard’s poor finishing efficiency, Torres converted both his shots on target and maximised his xG of 1, to score a brace under pressure and give the team all three points.
Coming on as a substitute for 19 minutes, he first got on the rebound of Fermin Lopez’s shot which was parried away by the goalkeeper and hammered it into the back of the net with precision.
The second finish, however, was more technical as he was forced to time his run past the defence, control the ball, and beat the goalkeeper from a tight angle which he did with a surgeon’s precision.
The win last night was only possible owing to Torres’ confidence in front of goal and he deserves a special mention for stepping up when the team needed a lethal finisher the most.
Moving ahead with confidence
Barcelona’s record in the UEFA Champions League and in La Liga have been bizarrely different, so much so that it is difficult to believe that the team that lost to Las Palmas was relatively comfortable against Borussia Dortmund.
The Catalans ensured complete control of the proceedings in the first half playing at one of the toughest stadiums in the sport and it only goes to show how they still have it in them if they turn up in their best version.
Moving forward, Barcelona need to have the same zeal in La Liga for any more missteps can see them fall behind in the title race. With tricky fixtures against Leganes and Atletico Madrid coming up, the team must be at their best.
Last night’s game, needless to say, offers endless confidence to the dressing room and brings them back to winning ways in the best possible manner.
The manager’s objective, thus, should be to maximize the positivity from the win and usher his men forward to stay consistent across all competitions. After all, they will have their chance to lift a first trophy next month and cannot err.