Robert Lewandowski Nets Double As Barcelona Neatly Beat Borussia Dortmund

Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring a brace as Barcelona beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg tie

Barcelona secured a favorable lead from defeating Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg tie, with Robert Lewandowski contributing a brace to the goal thriller. 

The Spaniards gained control from the early stages as the Germans struggled to find their place in the game. Some chances later came the Germans' way, but they missed converting the chances. Barcelona, instead, made most of the first free-kick in front of the goal and set the game on a new course. 

Raphinha slid to tap in a goal-bound shot poorly saved by Martinez from Cubarsi's header following a free-kick. The second goal followed after the halftime break from Robert Lewandowski, whose header from close range beat Martinez. 

Lewandowski doubled his tally after Lopez made away with the ball from the midfield and squared a pass to the striker, who rifled home the ball from inside the six-yard box. Lamine Yamal completed the scoresheet following a counter, leading a build-up involving Lewandowski and Raphinha, who played him in, and the youngster struck the ball home from close range.

Borussia were fairly dominated even as they tried to force the Spaniards to open up the midfield by being aggressive. That did not work with Barcelona. They will host Barcelona in the second leg of the round at the Signa Iduna Park. 

Overview 

Barcelona dominated through possession, and the Germans wanted to play, but as the Spaniards stemmed the pace to establish control, they found a set-piece to pull off a goal. However, Borussia did not want to carve into their opponent's game plan and forced Barcelona to intensify the pace, barreling down the left flank through Chukwuemeka. 

The goal margin should have been wider had the Germans capitalized on the chances they had from the first half. They repeatedly gave away the ball cheaply in midfield, leading to build-ups that resulted in goals. Yamal was involved in three of the goals scored either directly or by assisting in the build-up.