BARCELONA – BAYERN MUNICH 4-1:
More than nine years have passed since Barcelona last defeated Bayern Munich in a competitive match. All six previous encounters ended in victories for the Germans, with a goal difference of 22–4.
Wednesday’s first goal in Barcelona came before a minute had passed. Raphinha was beautifully played through by Fermin Lopez, and one-on-one with Manuel Neuer, the Barcelona captain stayed cool and rounded the German goalkeeper.
Shortly after, Harry Kane headed in a great cross from Thomas Müller, but the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside. A few minutes later, Bayern had the luck on their side when Kane equalized at 1–1 after a precise pass from Serge Gnabry.
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Raphinha hat trick
Just past the halfway mark of the half, Neuer nearly made a serious mistake with the ball at his feet, but the German escaped unscathed.
Ten minutes before the break, Robert Lewandowski had an easy task to make it 2–1 after another assist from Lopez. Bayern players protested against what they believed was a foul by Lopez, but neither the referee nor the VAR team intervened.
Shortly thereafter, things got worse for Bayern when Raphinha increased the score to 3–1 with his second goal of the night. Ten minutes after the break, the Brazilian completed his hat trick with another brilliant performance. It was the Brazilian’s 17th goal involvement so far this autumn.
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Reunion with the old boss
Hansi Flick was Bayern’s coach when the Germans eliminated Barcelona from the Champions League with an 8–2 victory back in 2020. On Wednesday, he had a reunion with his old club, this time as the head coach of the Spaniards.
Barcelona won the Champions League four times between 2006 and 2015. Since then, the Catalans have not managed to reach a single final. In the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, the Spanish giants were eliminated in the group stage, while last season they were stopped in the quarter-finals.
For Bayern, they have exited in the quarter-finals in three of the last four seasons. The Germans’ last title came in the pandemic-affected 2019/2020 season.