In Bayern Munich's 8-2 win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the 2019-2020 Champions League, Thomas Muller opened the scoring in the 4th minute, assisted by Robert Lewandowski. That is one of the unforgettable stains on Cule.
That match also opened a period when Barcelona was " suppressed" by the German team every time they met in the continental arena. Until the early morning of October 24...
The two teams met in the third round of the 2024-2025 league season, after many changes in recent years. Notably, Lewandowski and coach Hansi Flick are currently in the ranks of the Catalan team.
In 2020, in addition to assisting the opening goal, the Polish striker also contributed 1 goal. Early this morning, the 36-year-old striker also scored 1 goal. However, the brightest factor was Raphinha, with a hat-trick in Barca's 4-1 victory.
Even, as if to respond - also to gradually erase the pain of 2020, the Brazilian striker scored the opening goal before the clock had fully passed the first minute of play.
Awarded the captain's armband of Barca in this match, from a pass from Fermin Lopez, along with a mistake by Joshua Kimmich, Raphinha escaped down from midfield, accelerated, faced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and calmed down before finishing to score the opening goal.
There is always hope when the two of the giants of European football meet and it is clear that this clash will not disappoint viewers. 9 minutes after Bayern conceded, Harry Kane put the ball into Barca's net, however, due to an offside error, his goal was not recognized.
The German "Gray Tigers" were not shy and officially equalized 8 minutes later. It was still Kane, with a sharp finish after a pass from Serge Gnabry.
4 years ago, when Lionel Messi was still in the squad, Barca controlled the ball just a little less than their opponents (49% compared to 51%), but they only had a total of 8 shots (compared to 26 of their opponents.
At Olimpic, the Blaugrana only kept the ball 39%, but shot 12 times and only allowed the opponent to score 11 times. The presence of Flick on the coaching bench was the reason for that change.
After being equalized, Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal had clear chances to score but missed. However, in the 36th minute, Lopez continued to play the role of an assistender to help Lewandowski score.
Raphinha helped Barcelona end the first half with a 2-goal difference when receiving a great pass from Marc Casado, dribbling and kicking the ball past Dayot Upamecano, beyond Neuer's reach.
Early in the second half, Kim Min-jae saved Neuer's safety after a terrible pass, but in the end, Bayern still could not stop Raphinha. The former Leeds United striker received a pass from Lamine Yamal, rushed forward and fired an accurate shot to complete his hat-trick.
Coach Vincent Kompany responded by replacing 4 players in the 60th minute, but none of them were effective. Bayern lost their second Champions League match this season, and their third consecutive away defeat in European competition.
Meanwhile, with a 4-1 victory, Barcelona interrupted the streak of 6 consecutive losses to Bayern and was in 10th place on the rankings after 3 rounds, equal in points with 6 other teams, including Real Madrid.
