Barcelona Advances to Semifinals Despite Loss to Dortmund

DORTMUND, Germany — FC Barcelona advanced to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in six seasons, despite losing 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their quarterfinal matchup on April 15, 2025. The Catalans secured their place in the last four with a 5-3 aggregate victory.

Barcelona’s defeat marked their first loss in 24 matches across all competitions in 2025. Despite a spirited performance from Dortmund, highlighted by a hat trick from Serhou Guirassy, it was not enough to overcome a four-goal deficit from the first leg.

“Dortmund did very well. We did not have our best day,” said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick. “But congratulations to my team, we’re in the semifinals. We’re happy.”

The match opened with Dortmund showing urgency, trying to make up for their 4-0 loss in the first leg. Guirassy gave the home team the early lead with a penalty in the 11th minute. Barcelona’s defense faltered early, leading to the crucial penalty after a foul by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Barcelona gradually began to find their feet, but their finishing let them down, particularly in the first half where they failed to capitalize on a couple of chances. The visitors managed to survive a brief spell of pressure from Dortmund after the break until Guirassy scored again with a header just four minutes into the second half.

Hope for a miraculous comeback was rekindled for Dortmund fans, but any momentum was halted by an own goal from Ramy Bensebaini in the 54th minute, which settled Barcelona’s nerves. Bensebaini slashed the ball into his own net while trying to clear a cutback from Barcelona’s Fermín López.

Dortmund’s Guirassy completed his hat trick in the 76th minute, but Barcelona’s aggregate advantage proved too significant for the hosts to bridge. “It’s a shame we didn’t play like that in the first leg as we could have got something out of it,” said Dortmund midfielder Pascal Gross.

As the match closed, Dortmund was left with little time to find two more goals to force extra time. The loss sends the Bundesliga side out of the competition while Barcelona aims for their sixth Champions League title.

Barcelona will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the semifinals, both of whom will compete in their second leg on Wednesday. Fans now eagerly await to see if their team can reclaim their former glory in European football.