Three takeaways from Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund were simply blown away by Barcelona at Montjuic last night in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League tie and thus handed the Catalans one foot into the semifinal.

Niko Kovac’s side were indeed the underdogs given the recent flurry of injuries that affected them. However, Barcelona were simply so well on song that they appeared to be a team from a superior division. Dortmund were no match.

Raphinha tapped in a Pau Cubarsi effort for Barcelona’s opening goal before a Robert Lewandowski brace made it 3-0 in the hosts’ favour after the break. Lamine Yamal then earned his goal on the night and sealed the 4-0 win.

The second leg in Germany is no walkover and Barcelona will have to dish out a solid showing to close out the win. However, it will be a mere formality if the Catalans can recreate even half the form they showed last night.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund.

Dominance in the UCL after so long

Dominating a UEFA Champions League knockout game is something Barcelona and the team’s faithful have dreamt of for years. Last night, they finally completed such a result and in some style.

The 4-0 scoreline in itself reflects how utterly dominant Barcelona were from start to finish, yet, the Blaugrana did not even take half the chances that came their way and could well have scored beyond six goals.

Borussia Dortmund, truth be told, never really got into the game except for a short five-minute sequence towards the end of the game. The rest of the match was played largely in their half with Barcelona in complete control.

Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi were sensational in defence but even found the time and space to combine and create the first goal of the night on a set piece.

Pedri was at his usual best while Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez both dropped one of the best performances of their career to ensure Barcelona control the midfield with no slip-ups.

The forwards, after a tired performance at the weekend, returned to their best and the all-round display could not have got any better. The wait for such a performance in the UCL knockout has been long, but has been aptly rewarded.

Yamal is the best player in the world

Best in the world? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Lamine Yamal’s numbers this season are absolutely bonkers for a 17-year-old, but what’s bizarre is that they still do not do any remote justice to how special he is.

Still a teenager, Yamal has grown seriously into the debate of being the best player in the world. Many expected it to take him a few years to grow out of the ‘youth’ bracket, but what he is producing week in and week out has not been seen before.

The ease with which he sees dissecting passes, his game IQ and ability to pull off magical dribbles at the drop of the hat are simply unparalleled in today’s world of football and there is a strong case to proclaim him as the best player in the game despite his young age.

Last night, Yamal was Barcelona’s best player in attack which says a lot because all three players had standout nights.

What set Yamal apart, however, was the fact that he was central to three of Barcelona’s goals on the night and almost all of the other chances the team generated on the night.

The youngster created Barcelona’s second goal on the night with a perfectly weighted cross to Raphinha who set up Leandowski. He then went on to set Fermin Lopez free with a freak of a through ball leading to the team’s third goal.

His goal was the cherry on the cake for Barcelona and more than deserved, for Yamal was simply unplayable on the night. He completed three key passes, created a big chance, and had four shots on the night against the elite opposition.

A hidden chance to ease the load

Amidst the hectic schedule, even a half-chance to rest players is worth its weight in gold for Hansi Flick and he now opens up breathing space after last night’s result. In fact, Barcelona can hope it will even bring them closer to the league title.

Real Madrid’s defeat to Arsenal by a three-goal margin will mean Carlo Ancelotti will rest his stars and keep them fresh for the vital second leg. The men in white may thus turn a blind eye to their tricky game against Alaves this weekend and drop points.

Barcelona’s situation, meanwhile, is the polar opposite as they have virtually sealed a place in the semifinal of the event after last night’s result.

The four-goal lead means the Germans will have to put five goals in the second leg to qualify, something that is extremely unlikely.

Flick can thus look to rotate his players over the course of the next few games with more freedom, including the second leg against Dortmund.

Barcelona can now focus on the game against Leganes with some stars rested and look to bring home the three points to try and increase their lead.

With the tie against Dortmund also all but sealed, Flick can even mildly rotate in the second leg in Germany and is not forced to field his best XI.

Thereafter, Barcelona have games against Celta Vigo and Mallorca before El Clasico and will look to continue their mild rate of rotations nevertheless.