Champions League: Barcelona crush Bayern Munich
What a wild night in the Champions League! FC Barcelona dismantled Bayern Munich, leaving behind their bad memories, with Raphinha shining brightly, scoring a hat trick.
This classic matchup between two giants, both having a strong start to the season under their new coaches, clearly had football fans excited. The FC Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich clash promised to be thrilling, and both teams ensured they didn’t disappoint. Just under a minute into the game, Raphinha opened the scoring.
How? Fermin Lopez perfectly timed a pass (helped by Kimmich’s poor positioning), allowing his Brazilian teammate to go one-on-one with Manuel Neuer. Where many would have hesitated, the former Rennes player opted to sidestep the German keeper and finish into an empty net (1-0, 1st minute).
Barcelona seemed ready to exorcise their Munich demons on Wednesday night with that quick opening goal, but it was just an illusion. Bayern Munich, under Vincent Kompany, quickly took control of the match. Kane even thought he had equalized from a Müller cross, but he was ultimately flagged offside. A few minutes later, there was no offside. The English striker acrobatically converted a precise cross from Gnabry (1-1, 18th minute).
Was the Bavarian steamroller on the move? Not this year. Barcelona gradually regained their composure, and the game started to level out. Fermin Lopez then decided to show his tricks. A little nudge, and Kim Min Jae was left behind. All that was left was to set up Lewandowski in the box, who made no mistake in punishing his former club (2-1, 36th minute).
Better yet, the Catalan club pressed their advantage with a third goal just before halftime, scored by the inevitable Raphinha. The captain for the night, well-served on the left side by Casado, advanced and curled his shot past a Neuer who was having a particularly uninspired evening (3-1, 45th minute).
Bayern attempted to pose more of a threat after the break, but they were once again punished on a lightning counter-attack. Yamal played a quick pass to Raphinha. The Brazilian, dazzling as ever, controlled the ball with his chest at full speed and fired a precise shot into the net (4-1, 56th minute). That was a hat trick for the Blaugrana captain, who could celebrate in front of the Montjuic supporters.
Kompany brought on Musiala, Coman, and Goretzka, but the score remained unchanged. It was a prestigious victory for Barça and a sweet revenge for Hansi Flick, the former Bayern coach.
