Barcelona booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund, despite a 3-1 defeat in Tuesday’s second leg, powered by a hat-trick from Serhou Guirassy.
After a dominant 4-0 victory in the first leg at home, Barça faced a fierce Dortmund fightback at Signal Iduna Park. Guirassy struck early with a composed Panenka penalty in the 11th minute, before doubling the lead with a header early in the second half to ignite hopes of a stunning comeback.
Dortmund’s momentum was briefly halted when Fermin Lopez forced Ramy Bensebaini into an own goal midway through the second half, making it 2-1 on the night and restoring some breathing room for the visitors.
But Guirassy wasn’t done. The Guinean striker completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, capitalizing on a dazzling run by Julian Duranville. Dortmund thought they had a fourth when Julian Brandt scored moments later, but it was ruled out for offside.
Despite suffering their first competitive loss of 2025, Barcelona advanced to the final four, keeping their treble hopes alive—ten years after their last Champions League triumph in Berlin. They’ll face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
Dortmund, though eliminated, can take heart from a spirited display and the incredible form of Guirassy, who now leads the Champions League scoring charts with 13 goals this season. The 29-year-old forward has emerged as a breakout star, having spent much of his career across lower divisions in Germany and France.
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick stayed true to his pre-match promise of attacking football, fielding his full attacking trio of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha despite the aggregate cushion.
Dortmund were dealt a blow just before kickoff when captain Emre Can was ruled out through injury, but they came out firing. Guirassy and Maximilian Beier both threatened early, and after Pascal Gross won a penalty from Wojciech Szczesny’s foul, Guirassy coolly slotted it home.
The hosts cut through Barcelona repeatedly before finally making it 2-0 early in the second half. However, Barcelona responded through a fast right-wing attack that ended with Bensebaini inadvertently putting the ball into his own net.
Guirassy’s third briefly rekindled Dortmund’s hopes of a miracle, but Barcelona held firm under late pressure to secure their spot in the last four.
