In a thrilling Champions League group match on Wednesday, Barcelona crushed Bayern Munich 4-1 thanks to a spectacular hat-trick from Raphinha. In a thrilling Champions League group match on Wednesday, Barcelona crushed Bayern Munich 4-1 thanks to a spectacular hat-trick from Raphinha.
The Catalans had lost their last six games against Bayern but outplayed the six-time winners at the Olympic stadium with Robert Lewandowski also on the scoresheet, while England star Harry Kane struck for the visitors.Hansi Flick, who was in charge of the Bundesliga side in a humiliating 8-2 romp over Barca in 2020, led the Catalans to an emphatic triumph which indicated they may be capable of winning the trophy for the first time since 2015 after a decade of disappointment.Defeat leaves Bayern with only one victory from their opening three group games and in the bottom half of the table, while Barcelona
“Getting the second victory in the Champions League was important and now we have to think about the game on Saturday.”Barcelona visit European and Spanish champions Real Madrid in a La Liga Clasico this weekend and warmed up for it in spectacular style.Flick brought midfielder Fermin Lopez in for his first start of the season after injury, while his Bayern counterpart Vincent Kompany opted for Serge Gnabry in place of Jamal Musiala, who was only fit enough for the bench.Barcelona had not scored in their last four matches against Bayern but were ahead
Barcelona players celebrate their win at the end of the UEFA Champions League, league phase day 3 football match between FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on October 23, 2024. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP)
The Brazilian winger, on his 100th appearance for the club since joining from Leeds, and proudly sporting the captain’s armband, stayed cool to dribble around Manuel Neuer and roll home.Former Tottenham striker Kane had a similar chance to equalise at the other end but took a heavy touch and Inaki Pena raced out of his goal to deny him, before the Englishman had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside.Bayern kept pouring forward and Kane found the net once more after 18 minutes, and this time it counted.The striker finished acrobatically from Gnabry’s inviting cross with Barcelona’s defence all at sea.
Unwavering RaphinhaAfter regaining their composure, Barcelona started to pose a threat. Lewandowski, a former Bayern striker, missed a shot, and Lamine Yamal slid in to tackle Neuer but the ball went over the post.Lopez was charging into space in Bayern territory when Joshua Kimmich took him out, earning him a booking.The dynamic Barcelona midfielder set up Lewandowski for his team’s second goal. Lopez knocked the ball across for Lewandowski to turn home after leaving Kim Min-jae for dead with a deft nudge, about which Bayern complained without success.After a difficult season, the 36-year-old veteran Polish striker has benefited greatly from Flick’s arrival. He currently has 15 goals in 13 games.
After Marc Casado extended the play to the left flank and arced a shot through Dayot Upamecano’s legs and out of Neuer’s reach at full stretch, the unstoppable Raphinha scored a fantastic third goal just before halftime.Ten minutes into the second half, Raphinha completed his hat-trick by brilliantly controlling Yamal’s daring pass on his chest during the sprint and then launching a rasping effort into the bottom right corner from the box’s edge.In response, Kompany substituted four well-known players: Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Musiala.Barcelona’s supporters started applauding their team’s passes as Bayern chased the ball after they were ahead 4-1.
Catalonia, who have not advanced past the Champions League semifinals since 2019, is beginning to believe that Flick could help them regain their place among Europe’s best.The upcoming trip to the Santiago Bernabeu will soon provide another test of that theory.Vinicius Junior, a Brazilian winger, scored three goals for Madrid against Dortmund on Tuesday. However, Barca sent a message of their own when Raphinha, a fellow countryman, outscored him in style against Bayern.