Barcelona sneak by way of after Serhou Guirassy’s treble provides Dortmund hope

Ultimately, it was comfy sufficient for Barcelona, regardless of Serhou Guirassy’s hat-trick. They weren’t in a position to maintain the ball in trademark style and command by way of possession however they at all times had clear water. There have been instances, although, after they had been distinctly uneasy and, however for an personal purpose that got here at simply the fitting time for them, this may need been a really awkward night.

It might finally have been a second leg negotiated with out an excessive amount of jeopardy, nevertheless it was a tie that raised doubts about them as potential champions. There’s a lot to admire about Hansi Flick’s Spanish league leaders however theirs is a high-risk recreation and extra exact opponents than Dortmund may need uncovered them.

Barcelona’s 4-0 win at dwelling final week had in impact ended the tie and, given how Dortmund’s season had gone, few on the membership can have been too shocked. They lie eighth within the Bundesliga, the choice to interchange Nuri Sahin as coach with Niko Kovac in February has yielded little apparent profit. The end result was that, not less than within the buildup, the sport had the texture of a mildly souped up pleasant. Actually the ambiance within the Alter Markt was markedly convivial. As blue and garnet mingled with yellow and black exterior the assorted pizzerias and pubs on a damp spring afternoon, there was a way of wandering by way of the idealised world of an advert.

If there was jeopardy for Barcelona it was solely in conceding early – which they did. Twice previously eight years they’ve squandered three-goal first-leg results in each Roma and Liverpool. They’re a facet with previous traumas which may, conceivably, have been awoken earlier than the fury of the Yellow Wall.

Even within the hours earlier than kick-off Dortmund’s hopes had taken a blow as Carney Chukwuemeka, who has impressed in his mortgage spell regardless of restricted time on the pitch, was dominated out with a thigh harm. With Emre Can even absent, that left Dortmund with a shortfall within the coronary heart of midfield which maybe partially defined the swap from final week’s 4-3-3 to 3-4-2-1. Because it was, their further our bodies within the center allowed them to stress Barcelona a lot faster than every week in the past, and Flick’s facet didn’t reply effectively.

The tempo of Karim Adeyemi in an inside-left place brought about big issues and created a few half-chances even earlier than he laid in Pascal Gross, who was tripped by Wojciech Szczesny. Guirassy transformed the ensuing penalty. At that time, Barça had been unexpectedly ragged, clearly rattled each by Dortmund’s depth and the ambiance. The house facet had 5 efforts in goal inside the opening 20 minutes.

The hazard for Dortmund, and the hope for Barça, was that the house facet would blow themselves out and, after Maximilian Beier had headed a Gross free-kick straight at Szczesny on the half hour, that was what occurred within the first half and, with out ever wanting fully assured, Barça had secured a measure of management by half-time.

The second half started with one other Dortmund surge and a purpose inside 4 minutes, Guirassy heading his second of the night time from shut vary. Dortmund briefly had hope however inside 5 minutes it was gone, Fermin López’s cross thumped into his personal internet by Ramy Bensebaini. With that, the hearth went out of Dortmund.

And but that they had carried out sufficient to lift doubts about Barça. Though it tended to be misplaced within the 4-0 scoreline, Dortmund had created probabilities final week: 13 of them, which is the large doubt over Barcelona as potential winners.

Like all Flick sides, they play with a particularly excessive line and which means they’re susceptible; their urgent solely has to go fractionally awry for them to be extraordinarily open, notably to fast direct runners. That’s why they’ve conceded 4 this season in video games towards Osasuna, Benfica and Atlético. Two of these examples have come within the 24-match unbeaten run going again to the start of the yr on which they got here into this recreation.

Even having restored a three-goal combination lead, Barça weren’t fully dwelling and dry. Guirassy swept in his third with 14 minutes remaining after high-quality work from the substitute Julien Duranville, and that awoke an extra spate of Barça nerves, particularly when Julian Brandt nearly instantly had a purpose dominated out for offside.

Because it turned out, Barcelona’s first-leg lead was an excessive amount of for Dortmund to overturn however whether or not Inter or Bayern come by way of Wednesday’s quarter, they’ll take a look at the way in which Barça struggled to take care of the press, and the swathes of house behind their line of defense, and see a possibility.