Barcelona has sealed their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 5–3 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund, holding on despite a 3–1 loss in the second leg at Signal Iduna Park. The German side came out firing, inspired by a heroic performance from Serhou Guirassy, who scored all three goals for the hosts in an electric atmosphere on Tuesday night.
After a commanding 4–0 victory at home, Barcelona looked set for a straightforward evening. However, Dortmund had other ideas. Guirassy gave his side the lead just 11 minutes in with a coolly taken Panenka penalty after Wojciech Szczesny clumsily brought down Pascal Gross in the box. Early in the second half, Guirassy struck again, this time heading home from a Ramy Bensebaini corner, igniting hopes of a historic comeback.
Dortmund dominated large parts of the first half and came close to leveling the tie before Barcelona responded. A half-cleared cross from Lamine Yamal ended up at the feet of Fermin Lopez, who whipped a dangerous ball across the box. In a desperate attempt to stop it from reaching Robert Lewandowski, Bensebaini turned it into his own net, handing Barcelona a vital away goal and shifting the momentum.
Still undeterred, Guirassy completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, smashing in from close range after a dazzling run from Julian Duranville tore through Barcelona’s defense. Just minutes later, Julian Brandt appeared to have added a fourth for Dortmund, but the goal was ruled out for offside, giving the visitors a much-needed reprieve.
Despite constant pressure and a frenzied final push from the German side, Barcelona held their nerve to protect their two-goal aggregate advantage. The result marked their first defeat of 2025 in all competitions, but more importantly, it kept their treble hopes alive—exactly a decade after they last achieved that historic feat.
Guirassy’s outstanding performance stood out as a shining light for Dortmund. The 29-year-old striker, who has quietly worked his way through various clubs across Germany and France, now leads the Champions League scoring chart with 13 goals this season. His display on the night brought pride to the home fans, even if the final outcome fell short.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick stuck to his attacking philosophy, fielding a full-strength frontline of Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha, despite the comfortable first-leg lead. His faith was tested by a Dortmund side that played with purpose and passion, even without injured captain Emre Can.
As the final whistle blew, relief washed over the Barcelona bench. They now await the winner of the tie between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Dortmund exit the competition with their heads held high, proving they could go toe-to-toe with Europe’s elite on the biggest stage.
