Ferran Torres credited Barcelona's team spirit after coming off the bench to score a late double that led them to a 3-2 Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund.
Torres came on in the 71st minute and struck four minutes later to put Barcelona 2-1 after Serhou Guirassy had canceled out Raphinha's opener.
Guirassy drew Dortmund level again, but Torres scored his second five minutes in to give Barca their fifth consecutive Champions League win – the first time they have achieved that feat since December 2020.
Torres, meanwhile, became only the fourth substitute to score two or more goals in a Champions League match for Barcelona (after Lionel Messi in 2008 against Shakhtar Donetsk, Cristian Tello in 2012 against Bayer Leverkusen and Ivan Rakitic in 2015 against BATE Borisov).
Speaking to Movistar Plus after the match, the former Manchester City striker said: “It's one of those games that form a group, which keeps us together, because we knew how to suffer… instead of apart “We responded very well.” .
“It's everything, it restores our feelings, it's the victory, it's the unity we showed, it's the way we celebrate the goals, which also counts, and the fact that we can dedicate the victory to all Barcelona fans who have traveled.”
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It took a while to get going, but it did get going in the second half.
Barcelona came out on top in what ended up being a five-goal thriller, finishing second in the UCL competition stage. #UCL #BVBBarça pic.twitter.com/9JO8vO62Bt
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 11, 2024
Coach Hansi Flick also praised his team for weathering a storm of Dortmund pressure before emerging victorious.
BVB led Barca in expected goals (2.83 v 2.17 xG), touches in the box (25 v 19) and big chances (six v four), but the Blaugrana's ruthless finishing made the difference.
“We can be very happy with what we have done,” Flick told reporters.
“The first half was great and in the second half, when they scored, we stayed calm and solid.
“Dortmund played very well with players who have a high pace, but we did well. We conceded goals because of mistakes we made.
“We can always improve, but today I have to congratulate the team because they did very well.”
Barcelona, who sit second in the Champions League standings with 15 points from six games, will look to secure direct qualification for the round of 16 when they play Benfica and Atalanta next month.
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