Barcelona returned to the Champions League for the first time in six years on Tuesday evening, after a 5-3 total victory over Borussia Dortmund. The tie was more or less over after an exciting 4-0 win in the first stage, but the Blaugrana occasionally staggered in the Signal Iduna Arena, with the home team put Barcelona under heavy pressure.
In the end, Dortmund would win 3-1 in the night, but their hope was sunk by a Ramy Bensebaini-own goal in the second half. However, it was a game that ended their 24-game unbeaten run in 2025, and the Barcelona players looked less than happy about the last whistle.
“I am relieved to say that we are qualified. We have not played well, but it is difficult to explain why. Many players did not perform well,” Frenkie de Jong told El Chiringuito, as quoted by MD.
“I think we know that we can play much better than we have shown tonight, and it leaves a bittersweet taste in the mouth. I am sure we will be happier tomorrow to be in the semi -final.”
In the meantime, Robert Lewandowski was very critical about his teammates and told them this was a lesson.
“We missed the control in midfield, we made many mistakes. We lost the possession, we have omitted passes, we made it easy for the opponent. Today's game must be thoroughly analyzed. We have to learn from it. We can't play that way.”
“If we were to lose mistakes, it would be better that we made them at this stage. In the future there is no room for those mistakes. We made it easy for Dortmund to create opportunities and score. Maybe this is the wake-up call that we needed. We have to learn from this.” Lewandowski noted the same exhaust valve.
“This match can be a good lesson for all our young players. The Champions League is the Champions League and you must always be prepared … not at 90%or 95%, no. 100%.”
Right back Jules Kounde also said that the dominant feeling after the game was disappointment.
“Reaching the semi -final was a huge goal that we had in mind from the start of the season, and we have to appreciate that, but to be honest, I am disappointed. We missed aggression, pressure, concentration, winning duels and cutting passing lanes …”, he said Sport.
“It is what the coach asked of us, and we sometimes did it, but we did not do enough during the 90 minutes. I am disappointed in the game because I know that the team can do better.
Central defenders Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi were a bit more positive, but manager Hansi Flick admitted that he had to try to cancel the moral in the dressing room. At least two absences for Barcelona were noticeable: they are neither the same defense nor the same midfield without an Inigo Martinez and Pedri in the side, the last half hour comes up.
Comments