Doug McIntyre
Soccer Journalist
Barcelona took a commanding lead on Wednesday in the first leg of its two-game, home-and-home, UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Borussia Dortmund.
Robert Lewandowski had two second-half goals after Raphinha opened the scoring in the first, and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal added another before it was over as Barcelona beat its German opponent 4-0 in the Catalan capital.
In Wednesday’s other quarterfinal first leg, Paris Saint-Germain overcame a 1-0 deficit to English Premier League club Aston Villa at the Parc des Princes en route to a 2-1 victory. The decisive rematches will be played next week in Dortmund and Birmingham, respectively.
Here are three quick takeaways following Wednesday’s games.
Barcelona finally back to its swashbuckling best
The signs have been there all season. Yet every time Hansi Flick’s side started to look like the Barça of Lionel Messi’s heyday during the German manager’s first campaign at the Blaugrana helm, they seemed to take a step back.
On Wednesday, the GOAT’s longtime club couldn’t have been more convincing. Once Raphinha poked home the opener following a shot by Pau Cubarsí, Barcelona never looked back.
Barça, who are four points clear of Real Madrid atop Spain’s vaunted La Liga, beat the wheels off of Dortmund, dominating the encounter from start to finish. The lopsided result all but ensures that Lewandowski & Co. will reach the final four of Europe’s top club competition — Barça’s first appearance in the semis since Messi led them there in 2019.
The job isn’t finished. The 81,000-seat Westfalenstadion is one of the continent’s largest and most intimidating venues for visiting clubs. It’s still almost impossible to see this particular Black & Yellow squad overturning a four-goal deficit given how their season has gone (BVB sits eighth in the Bundesliga) — and especially against this particular Barcelona.
That’s because, for the first time since Messi’s tearful exit in 2021, Barcelona is a legitimate Champions League title contender once again.
PSG is playing like a team on a mission
Heading into Wednesday’s contest in Paris, Aston Villa was being hailed as the Cinderella story of the Champions League’s knockout stage — which is fair enough, to be sure, considering that Villa was toiling in England’s second tier just a few short years ago,
PSG’s story isn’t a rags-to-riches tale. What the club has accomplished this season under Spanish coach Luis Enrique is still remarkable after the departure of Kylian Mbappé last summer and Messi and Neymar the year before. Sure, Mbappé helped the Qatar-owned club reach the semis last year. PSG also made it that far in 2021 and 2020, when they lost to Bayern Munich in the final. None of those teams ever truly looked like they could win Europe’s most important trophies, though. This one does. What they lack in marquee names they more than make up for with youth, hunger and togetherness.
And they look like they have something to prove.
PSG out-shot Villa 29-7 on Wednesday. They had the ball for more than three-fourths of the match. They could’ve settled for a 2-1 win, but got a potentially consequential third goal from 22-year-old fullback Nuno Mendes to cap Enrique’s 100th game in charge.
A trip back to the semis seems likely now — not that this PSG team will be satisfied with that. This is a group on a mission. And maybe even one of destiny.
Late goal against could doom Aston Villa
It’s not like Villa is just happy to have made it to the last eight. Unai Emery and his players earned their way into England’s top four last season to clinch a Champions League berth, and they’ve taken on all comers this year without looking out of their depth.
That even goes for Wednesday. Despite being put under intense pressure by the hosts from the opening whistle, the visitors scored first through Morgan Rogers 10 minutes before halftime.
PSG cancelled it out a minute later, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put them up a goal shortly after the break. Still, Villa managed the onslaught admirably, defending well and getting eight saves from their star keeper, World Cup-winner Emi Martinez.
A 2–1 loss would’ve been palatable — especially with the second leg (and extra time, potentially) at home. Unfortunately for the Villans, Mendes scored with virtually the last kick of the game to make next week’s task significantly more difficult.
If they win the rematch at Villa Park but end up falling just short on aggregate, their fans will and should be proud. That won’t keep them from wondering what could’ve been.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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