Barcelona advance to first UCL semifinal in six years

Barcelona are through to the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2019, despite a 3-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. Their dominant 4-0 victory in the first leg proved enough to seal their place in the last four. Dortmund, with little to lose after the first leg, came out firing in front of their home fans. Serhou Guirassy had two early half-chances before winning a penalty in the 10th minute after Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny fouled Pascal Gross. Guirassy converted coolly with a panenka to make it 1-0, marking his 11th goal in the Champions League this season—a new club record.

Intense second half

After the break, Dortmund continued with high intensity. Karim Adeyemi and Gross had attempts saved, but Guirassy found the net again in the 52nd minute with a header from close range after a knockback by Ramy Bensebaini. The tie suddenly seemed wide open, but Barcelona struck back quickly. Just five minutes after Dortmund's second, Fermín López crossed low and Bensebaini inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, giving the visitors a crucial away goal and restoring their two-goal cushion on aggregate. Dortmund refused to give in. In the 75th minute, a poor clearance from Ronald Araújo fell to Guirassy, who completed a perfect hat-trick with a composed left-footed finish. It was his 13th goal of the Champions League season, solidifying his position as the competition’s top scorer. Despite throwing bodies forward in the final minutes, Dortmund couldn’t find the two additional goals needed to force extra time. Barcelona held firm, with Frenkie de Jong playing the full match and anchoring the midfield.

Road to the final

Barcelona now await their semifinal opponent, which will be either Inter or Bayern Munich. The semifinal first legs will be played on April 29 and 30, with the second legs set for May 6 and 7. The way Barcelona plays this season, gives them a good opportunity to get all the way to the Champions League final in Munich.