Barcelona salvaged a dominant 4-1 victory over their arch-rivals Bayern Munich. Hat-trick hero Raphinha took the match ball and man-of-the-match accolades home with a memorable performance. Hansi Flick, who was in the other dugout when Barcelona suffered one of its worst defeats, continues his excellent start at the Catalan club.
Barca came out top after entertaining half
Both teams already suffered shock defeats in the first two Champions League matchdays. Barcelona lost away to Monaco on the opening day when Bayern broke the record for the heaviest win of the competition.
But, on matchday two, the German juggernauts were defeated by Aston Villa, who only returned to the Champions League after four decades. Meanwhile, Flick’s side comfortably beat Young Boys 5-0 with the first three goals scored in a dominant first-half display.
And they repeated that against the six-time Champions League winners. Raphinha was the star of the show as he scored in the first minute and on the stroke of half-time to put the hosts 3-1 up. Olympics gold medalist Fermín López also impressed with two first-half assists to his name in end-to-end action.
Harry Kane and former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski were also on the scoresheet, while Lamine Yamal’s technique shone in Barcelona’s right flank. It was a great spectacle with both coaches playing with high defensive lines.
Raphinha completes trio of goals against Bayern in second half
But with Manuel Neuer’s decline in form and Bayern’s erratic center-backs, Vincent Kompany took a huge risk in allowing acre of space for Barcelona’s wingers. Raphinha, who wore the captain’s armband until Frenkie de Jong made his return, completed his hat-trick with another superb finish.
A day after Vinícius Júnior’s memorable performance at Santiago Bernabéu, another Brazilian performed at the highest level. And just like Real Madrid did over Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona completely dominated their opponents from the Bundesliga in the second half.
Barcelona could’ve scored more goals on the counter, but they did nullify Bayern’s threats on the other end. Kompany made four changes at the hour mark, but it was a dreadful half of soccer from Germany’s record champions.
Although it doesn’t weigh similar to a knockout tie, beating Bayern by a three-goal margin will be one of the hallmark results of Flick’s reign. After all, he was at Bayern’s dugout when the Bavarians beat Barca 8-2 on their way to winning the Champions League in 2020.
After their statement win, Barcelona climbed to 10th in the Champions League standings. Following back-to-back defeats, Bayern slumped to 23rd out of 36 teams.
What’s next for Barcelona & Bayern?
Flick will demand his players to maintain their high standards when Barcelona travel to Madrid for Saturday’s showdown. The Blaugrana lost three El Clásicos to Real Madrid last season. But the German coach won 11 of his first 13 games. Barcelona scored a staggering 43 goals in the process.
Kompany will face a tricky trip to Bochum on Sunday. The Blues fired both their coach and sporting director after picking up a single point from seven matches. But Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel suffered embarrassing defeats as Bayern coaches at Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
