Barcelona 3-2 Dortmund (Dec 11, 2024) Game Analysis – ESPN

Substitute Ferran Torres scored twice including an 85th-minute winner as Barcelona earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday to move to the brink of qualification.

In a pulsating five-goal second half, Torres struck twice in 10 minutes after coming on in the 71st minute to lift Barcelona to 15 points in second place with two games remaining in the league phase.

Dortmund twice came from a goal down with Serhou Guirassy scoring both their goals but they could not do it a third time after Torres’s goal from a Lamine Yamal pass.

The Germans dropped down to ninth place on 12 points. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the round of 16.

“We can be very happy with what we have done,” Barca coach Hansi Flick told reporters. “The first half was wonderful and in the second half, when they scored, we remained calm and solid.

“Dortmund played very well with players who have a high pace but we did it well. We conceded goals because of mistakes we made. We can always improve, but today I have to say congratulations to the team because they did it really well.”

Barcelona bossed possession from the start and captain Raphinha and top scorer Robert Lewandowski had early chances.

The hosts responded with a chance of their own through Marcel Sabitzer but it was Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel who was kept busy in a largely one-sided first half with the visitors enjoying close to 70% possession.

Dortmund looked sharper after the break and Guirassy put the ball in the net in the 50th minute before the effort was ruled out for offside.

There was nothing wrong, however, when Raphinha latched on to a superb Dani Olmo pass to finish off a quick move in the 53rd minute and put Barcelona in the driving seat with his sixth goal of the competition.

The hosts levelled with Guirassy’s well-taken penalty on the hour after the Guinea international was brought down in the box before Dortmund’s Kobel came to the rescue once more, stopping another Olmo shot.

He was beaten in the 75th when Torres, who had come on four minutes earlier, slotted in on the rebound after Kobel had punched a Frenkie de Jong volley into his path.

Guirassy hit back three minutes later when the Barca defence was caught napping but it would not be enough to earn a point as Torres scored once more after a superb through ball from Yamal.

There was still more bad news for injury-plagued Dortmund after defender Nico Schlotterbeck turned his ankle following a header in the last move of the game and had to be treated on the pitch after the final whistle.