Barcelona delivered a dominant 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal clash on Wednesday, putting them in a strong position to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2019.

Robert Lewandowski netted twice, while Raphinha contributed with a goal and an assist, and Lamine Yamal added another goal, leaving the German side with a daunting challenge ahead in the second leg. 

The return match will be played next Tuesday at Dortmund, who were last season's finalists but were defeated by Barcelona's archrivals, Real Madrid.

Despite the commanding result, Lewandowski remained cautious. "We played well, but we can’t think about the semifinals just yet," he said. "We scored four goals at home, but the second leg is still to come."

Raphinha, the competition's top scorer, opened the scoring in the 25th minute, securing his 12th Champions League goal of the season. He then assisted Lewandowski’s first goal in the 48th minute. 

Lewandowski extended the lead with a clinical strike in the 66th minute, bringing his tally to 11 Champions League goals. Yamal rounded off the scoreline in the 77th minute.

Lewandowski, at 36, has now scored 14 Champions League goals after the age of 35, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's tally. This season, Lewandowski has netted 40 goals across all competitions and continues to lead La Liga with 25 goals.

Raphinha, who has scored in each of Barcelona’s last four Champions League knockout games, now has seven goals in that span, making him one of the competition's standout players.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1135 HRS, APR 10, 2025
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