Barcelona survive Dortmund scare to reach UCL semis after six years
The Catalan giants came into the return fixture with a commanding 4-0 lead from the first leg at home.
KATHMANDU: FC Barcelona have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019, overcoming Borussia Dortmund 5-3 on aggregate despite suffering a 3-1 defeat in the second leg at Signal Iduna Park.
The Catalan giants came into the return fixture with a commanding 4-0 lead from the first leg at home.
Although Dortmund launched an aggressive comeback attempt in front of a passionate home crowd, it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.
Guinea international Serhou Guirassy was the standout performer for the German side, scoring a hat-trick and inspiring hopes of an extraordinary turnaround.
He netted his first from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, followed by another in the 49th. He completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, narrowing the aggregate score to 4-3 at one stage.
Guirassy had already proven to be a threat in the group stage, where he scored both goals in a 3-2 loss against Barcelona. This time, he once again stepped up, but his heroics were ultimately in vain.
Barcelona’s only goal of the match came via an own goal from Dortmund defender Ramy Bensebaini, who was pressured into a mistake by Robert Lewandowski. That goal proved crucial, as it extended Barcelona’s aggregate advantage and dashed Dortmund’s hopes of a complete comeback.
This was Barcelona’s first loss in the 2025 Champions League campaign, but their dominant first-leg performance ensured safe passage to the semi-finals.
Barcelona will now face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the last four.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain also booked their place in the semi-finals. Despite a 3-2 loss to Aston Villa in the second leg, PSG advanced with a 5-4 aggregate victory.
