Three talking points from Dortmund 3-1 Barca (3-5 agg)

Photo by Stuart Franklin - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

A first defeat of 2025 for Hansi Flick’s side

Barca into the semis but defeat raises doubts

Barcelona made it through to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in six years but Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat to Dortmund means there are plenty of doubts about whether they can go all the way.

Hansi Flick’s side are over-achieving this season but their exploits mean they’ve been seen in some quarters as the favourites to win the European Cup. Yet that may not still be the case after a tough night in Germany.

1 - Barcelona attempted just one shot and conceded seven shots on target in the first 45 minutes against Borussia Dortmund, both their worst first-half records in any competition this season. Calm. pic.twitter.com/ugs0ngnQPh

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 15, 2025

Dortmund scored three times, had one ruled out for offside and had the visitors wobbling for long periods at Signal Iduna Park. After the 4-0 win in the first leg, it wasn’t supposed to be this difficult but the ghosts of Roma and Liverpool were there for all to see.

Karim Adeyemi caused all sorts of problems down the left, while there were oceans of space in front of the defence which Dortmund were happy to exploit. Roared on by a raucous crowd, Dortmund upped the intensity and Barca looked jittery.

In the end we saw Barca’s long unbeaten run ended as Flick’s men suffered a first defeat of 2025 and Wojciech Szczęsny finally found out what it feels like to lose a game in Barcelona colours.

The consolation is that if there were any game to lose this season then this was the one. Barcelona still go through 5-3 on aggregate but warnings must be heeded if they want to go any further in the competition this season.

Pedri and Inigo Martinez are untouchable

Flick made changes to his team for the game against Dortmund, giving Pedri a breather and allowing Inigo Martinez - who was one yellow card away from a one-match ban - the night off altogether.

And the changes served only to show how these two players are simply untouchable for Barcelona this season. For all the talk of a Ballon d’Or for Raphinha or Lamine Yamal, it seems clear that his Barca is Pedri’s Barca.

DREAM Teammate.
Pedri @FCBarcelona. pic.twitter.com/dkoxI8O9pj

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) March 27, 2025

Barca lacked composure and clarity without their star midfielder and were virtually unrecognisable from the team we’ve enjoyed watching so much this season. And not just because of the white shorts. The contrast was evident when Pedri arrived on the hour and suddenly things looked a lot easier.

Martinez’s presence and spirit were also missed defensively, with Barca absolutely rattled in Germany. Ronald Araujo made some crucial interventions but gifted the ball to Serhou Guirassy for Dortmund’s third and still doesn’t look comfortable in Flick’s system.

The Uruguayan admitted the tie could have slipped away from Barcelona after the game, on another big Champions League night where the defender’s errors will once again be analysed and no doubt fuel talk of a summer move.

Bayern or Inter next for Barcelona

Barcelona now progress to a semi-final tie against either Inter or Bayern. Inter are in the pole position to make it through as they lead 2-1 from the first leg and have home advantage for the return.

Flick’s side have already beaten Bayern in the competition this season, winning 4-1 back in October in the group phase of the tournament at Montjuic and may well prefer to face Vincent Kompany’s side again.

Yet both teams won’t fear Barca after seeing the quarter-final ties with Dortmund. Niko Kovac’s side created 13 chances against Barcelona last week and 18 on Tuesday in Germany, giving both teams hope they can knock Flick’s side out and reach the final.

| Gave it their all!

• Most shots on target by any team against Barcelona in a #UCL match over the last five seasons (11)

• Most xG accumulated by any team against Barcelona in a #UCL/LaLiga match over the last three seasons (3.85)

Borussia Dortmund can be proud of their… pic.twitter.com/Kr1SoL5TZY

— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) April 15, 2025

“What’s important is that we are in the semifinal,” Flick said afterwards. “We have to view things positively. What the team has done is phenomenal. Every day since the international break they have been ready to play, training at a high level and with a really professional attitude.

“Today we didn’t show what we want. We will analyse that, but we have improved this season. We are still in three competitions. We are in the Champions League semifinal. This is a huge success and something we should be very happy about.”

There’s no doubt at all that this has been a stellar season for Barca already. But results have also raised expectations and Barca will have to move up a level from their showing against Dortmund if they are to reach the final.

Source: barcablaugranes.com