Borussia Dortmund 2 Barcelona 3 – Roaming RaphiNha, Reyna’s first start, Guirassy’s strange night

Barcelona defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a chaotic game at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday evening.

RaphiNha gave Hansi Flick’s side the lead in the 52nd minute with a nersveless finish before Serhou Guirassy went wide after a Pau Cubarsi push from the penalty spot in the 60th minute.

There was a hectic end to the game then as substitute Ferran Torres put Barca up 2-1 in the 75th minute. Guirassy broke Barca’s offside trap to draw the side level and then Torres struck again in the 85th minute to secure a hard-fought win for the Catalans.

Here our authors analyze a Madcap Night of Champions League football.

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How did Reyna perform in his first start of the season?

Many Dortmund fans will tell you that they never expected to see Giovanni Reyna starting for their club again. Reyna spent half of last season at Nottingham Forest and until Wednesday evening had only played 34 minutes in the Bundesliga all season.

The last time he started for Dortmund was almost exactly a year ago against Hoffenheim. The last time he started a club game of any kind was on April 21 during that loan spell against Everton. Off the field, the saga surrounding his USMNT future and relationship with former coach Gregg Berhalter has fueled his own career.

But Reyna made a strong impression on his return, playing as a focal point in the midfield attack between Jamie Gittens and Julien Duranville. It lasted 73 minutes but coped well with the speed of Barcelona’s ball circulation.

At times the pace of the game told him – as it does with every Dortmund player – but he dug in without the ball and was used to disrupt the passing channel between Marc Casado and Dani Olmo. His defensive work was good. He scrapped and competed in his own half and in the first 30 minutes a high turnover he forced may have accidentally fallen for Guirassy.

Reyna was also in possession. He jumped out of a flowing Dortmund attack with a smart diagonal pass to Ramy Bensebaini on the left. And just before half-time he dug a fine cross to the back that Guirassy really should have scored from – even if he appeared to be offside.

Sebastian Stafford Bloor

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How has Raphinha’s roaming role helped Barca?

Watching Raphhinha this season is a whole experience in itself.

The 27-year-old has had a campaign to remember, starting against Dortmund to score six goals in six Champions League games – and 17 goals in all competitions. Even when he can’t find the back of the net, the freedom with which he plays is a joy, and Wednesday night was no different.

Raphinha nominally started on the left wing and roamed the pitch as he delighted. Drive into key areas between the lines? Secure. Lead the line with Robert Lewandowski after shooting? Naturally. Will you join the Barcelona midfield to take part in the build-up? You bet. Yes, he also shows off his trademark dancing feet when he hugs the left touch, but it would be too easy to stay there without putting on a show.

Raphinha doesn’t even have to touch the ball to influence the game. Here, his relentless energy often made those penetrating runs behind Dortmund’s defensive line – as he has done all season. When he didn’t receive the ball, he still stretched Dortmund’s structure to leave space for Lewandowski and Olmo to occupy the spaces in the pockets.

Receiving the ball, his pace erupted from Olmo’s pass into space before finishing coolly with a driven finish into the bottom corner early in the second half.

Many doubted how RaphiNha would find a place in the Barcelona side after the amazing Lamin Yamal took his place on the right wing. It’s fair to say those doubts continue to be answered this season, with the Brazilian winger appearing all over the attacking line.

Mark Carey

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Yamal still Barca’s captain

Raphinha may have scored two late goals, but if something needs to happen to Barcelona, ​​Yamal is clearly their go-to man.

The 17-year-old was the Catalans’ biggest threat in the first half. Two of his deliveries from the right almost ended in goals for Raphhinha – one of them a result of his trademark ‘Trivela’ pass with the outside of his boot.

Yamal also tested Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel more than anyone else in a Barca shirt in that first period, with two shots saved by the Swiss.

It was also Yamal’s leadership that stood out. He could be seen giving orders to his teammates in possession, asking for more calm on the ball or asking full-back Jules Kounde to open up Dortmund’s defense.

His growing influence on Barcelona’s setup has been well documented this season. Barca remain winless in every game that Yamal has not started in La Liga this season (three defeats and a draw). RaphiNha could have turned into an empty net when lining up his goal – luckily for the Brazilian he hit home.

Yamal was quieter in the second half as Barca looked more to Olmo and RaphiNha in attack. But Flick decided to keep the teenager on the pitch – and it paid off. He played a key role in the build-up to Torres’ goal, starting the movement on the right which led to the Spaniard’s opportunistic finish. He then provided the final pass to Torres to score his late winner on the counterattack.

Pol Ballus

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Duranville shows its promise

What an occasion for 18-year-old Julien Duranville. He joined Borussia Dortmund from Anderlecht in 2023 but has since suffered from a series of hamstring injuries. Almost two years later and despite a huge reputation, this was his first start for Dortmund – in the Champions League or any other competition.

Depending on one’s personality, the prospect of facing Barcelona in front of 80,000 at the Westfalenstadion would either frighten a player of that age or excite them. It was safe to say it was the latter for Duranville. He wasn’t always perfect, but he played with encouraging freedom and a clear determination to express himself. Every time he had the chance he ran into Barca left-back Alejandro Balde.

Duranville was fun and positive rather than destructive or outstanding, but it’s clear to see why he is one of the most highly rated players of his generation. He has also already been covered by Belgium and made his first international appearance before his first start from Dortmund.

But Dortmund fans have seen him in cameos and it was enough to pique their interest. It’s not just that he’s quick or skilled, but he possesses an unusual dribbling style – with a low center of gravity that allows him to quickly turn from side to side, squeezing past defenders and getting them out of the way to keep balance.

Forgive any fans who fell back into a daydream, imagining what it might be like for him on the right side of their attack and Gitten on the left on the right. There are a lot of ifs and maybes – form, fitness, development – but they’re fun to think about.

Sebastian Stafford Bloor

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Torres answers his critics again

Torres has his critics, but the 24-year-old has delivered once again at a crucial time for Barca.

He has now scored in three consecutive La Liga games last week in La Liga.

Torres has struggled to win over the fan base, given his €55 million asking price when he signed for Manchester City in December 2021, but every manager he has had at Barca – Luis Enrique, Xavi and now Flick – has followed his relentless energy upwards loved.

Flick has shown a lot of trust in him, giving him a starting spot at the start of the season and now turning him into a super sub. He offers a more mobile and intense upfront presence compared to Lewandowski and came at the end of this game as it became an end-to-end contest.

Raphinha, Lewandowski and Yamal are well established as Barca’s front three, but Torres appears to be the best alternative option at the moment.

Pol Ballus

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Guirassy’s Night of Contrasts

Guirassy will never have a strange night in the Champions League. Won and converted a penalty, scored another goal but missed a multitude of good chances. At his best, he is a wonderfully fluid footballer who can influence attacks in every way.

However, Wednesday wasn’t one of those nights. Guirassy’s link play and first touch were lopsided all evening and there seemed to be an awkwardness about his technique.
And his finish was off too. A few minutes before his equalizer to make it 2-2, he sent a header over the bar as the entire Westfalenstadion expected him to score.

This is Guirassy’s normal standard. But he missed equally presentable chances in the first half, just before half-time, and that was ultimately the difference between the sides.

Barca probably deserved their win. It could – possibly – be different. Guirassy was hardly responsible for the defeat. His effort up front was a big part of Dortmund’s resistance. It will still be a disappointment given the standards he has set for himself over the last 18 months.

Sebastian Stafford Bloor

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Barca’s high line

Barcelona’s high defensive line is well established under Flick this season.

It certainly has its advantages, the most obvious of which is that it allows them to squeeze higher up the field and condense space to give the opposition less time to play their defensive structure.

Each of the four defenders were constantly on their toes as Dortmund had the ball and were ready to take that step forward to catch an opposition runner offside. With the margins so tight, Barca’s timing had to be perfect every time to get ahead at the crucial moment.

Of course, this approach doesn’t come without risks, and Dortmund have unveiled it for Guirassy’s second target. How? Runners from deeper areas.

It’s one thing to call off a striker or a winger, but an attacking midfielder driving forward from his own half is often harder to track. Dortmund’s Pascal Gross was the one who broke Barcelona’s line as he ran through to play a simple pass for Guirassy to roll the ball into an empty net.

Barca have certainly had more success than failure in their brave defensive line this season – and this was another great win this campaign – but tonight the show shows that there are methods for opponents to unlock.

Mark Carey

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What did Hansi Flick say?

We’ll bring that to you after he speaks at the post-match press conference.

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What next for Barcelona?

Sunday December 15th: Leganes (H), La Liga, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET

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(Top photo by ANP via Getty Images)