Leaving Nou Camp empty-handed.

Last weekend, Hansi Flick's team stumbled against Real Betis, drawing in La Liga. However, this draw didn't seriously affect Barca's lead in La Liga; in fact, they extended their lead to four points over Real Madrid in the title race, as the "Los Blancos" lost at home. Putting aside the disappointing draw against Real Betis, this week Barca will host Dortmund, an opponent they defeated 3-2 in the classification round in Germany back in December 2024. Barca have never lost in their previous five encounters with Dortmund, and this time is no exception. Coach Flick increased his personal winning record against the Ruhr team to eight after the final whistle at Camp Nou.

Traveling to Barcelona's Nou Camp, Dortmund faced a difficult task in securing a favorable result. Looking at Barcelona's impressive current form, with a 22-match unbeaten streak including 18 wins, Dortmund's hopes of victory were severely shaken. Furthermore, Spain has always been a tough territory for Dortmund, having won only 3 out of 20 away matches there, including a 2-5 defeat against Real Madrid in the early qualifying round this season. Not to mention, Dortmund's current form is also unconvincing; despite coach Niko Kovac's best efforts, Dortmund has remained inconsistent, winning only 3 of their last 6 matches. This has left Dortmund firmly rooted in 8th place in the Bundesliga standings. Earning points against Barcelona at this point was already difficult, making a victory almost impossible for Kovac's team. And so, Dortmund left Nou Camp empty-handed.

From the very first minutes of the match, Barca exerted tremendous pressure on Dortmund's goal. After several missed opportunities, coach Flick's team opened the scoring in the 25th minute. From a direct free kick, Cubarsi struck the ball towards Dortmund's goal. Seizing the opportunity, Raphinha stretched to tap the ball into the net. However, this was the most notable moment of the first half, as both teams struggled to find the back of the net for the remainder of the match.

Three minutes into the second half, Barcelona doubled their lead when Yamal delivered an accurate cross to Raphinha, who then headed the ball to Lewandowski. In a comfortable, unmarked position, Lewandowski scored to make it 2-0. Less than 20 minutes later, Yamal once again made his mark on Barca's third goal when he made a perfect pass to Fermin Lopez, setting up Lewandowski for a crucial finish to make it 3-0. Yamal himself scored the fourth goal, sealing the match. The 17-year-old received a perfectly placed pass from Raphinha.

A four-goal lead is enough to give coach Flick's team peace of mind before the second leg. However, it's worth remembering that Barca are notorious for losing after a first leg, even when they led by a significant margin. Surprises can still happen, and that's what fans are looking forward to in the rematch at Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park next week.