Barcelona Advance to Champions League Semi-Finals After Six Years: Three Key Takeaways From Second Leg Defeat

Guirassy’s Hat-Trick Shines, but Barcelona Survive Dortmund Scare To Progress 5–3 on Aggregate.

Barcelona have booked their spot in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time in six years. The last time the Catalan club were in the last four of the European competition was back in 2019. However, their progression wasn’t smooth at all. Especially considering they registered a 3-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the second leg.

At Dortmund’s home, the Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night, Barcelona looked lost for the first time this year. It was only thanks to a commanding 4-0 lead which they had built in the first leg at home, helped them progress to the semis on a 5-3 on aggregate. They can count their stars that they survived a major scare in the quarter-finals second leg in Germany.

The energy was unreal tonight. Your support means everything—thank you! 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/ibUVObWlNc
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) April 15, 2025

Tremendous Dortmund, Courtesy: Serhour Guirassy

Borussia Dortmund came out firing at the Signal Iduna Park. They were inspired by the beautiful and electric home crowd and the clinical form of Serhou Guirassy. The Guinea international has been crucial in every match against the Catalan side. He led the fightback for the home side with a stunning hat-trick.

He scored both of Dortmund’s 2-3 defeat against Barcelona in the group stage this campaign. This time he upped his game and scored one more but to no avail. His performance gave Dortmund players and faithfuls hope as it helped Dortmund close in on Barcelona by 4-3 at one point.

However, those hopes were slashed away when defender Ramy Bensebaini turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Robert Lewandowski. Thus, handing Barcelona a crucial goal and their 3-goal lead again in the 54th minute. That strike gave the visitors breathing room. They held on ultimately to seal their place in the final four.

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Barcelona’s First Defeat in 2025

The 3-1 result in Dortmund’s favor, marked Barcelona’s first defeat of the calendar year. It ended a 24-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. Fortunately for them, the aggregate scoreline remained in their favor. However, their performance left a lot to be desired. The loss certainly exposed a number of weaknesses.

Numerous defensive vulnerabilities, mistakes in the engine room, and misses in the final third became absolutely clear. These surely could become dangerously costly against stronger opponents. Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo admitted after the match, “We knew it would be difficult, but we didn’t expect to suffer so much. We have to learn from this.”

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Hansi Flick’s Unsuccessful Strategy

Coach Hansi Flick’s decision to rest key players and rotate the squad appeared to backfire. Barcelona have had and will still have a gruesome schedule in both April and May. Hence, Flick had to rest some of his key players. However, with the game becoming more defensive, Barcelona failed to hold on like a few times they’ve done before during this season.

The visitors lacked composure, especially in the first half, where Dortmund’s intensity overwhelmed their midfield. Flick’s cautious approach almost cost them a historic collapse. Barcelona will start to prepare for a semi-final clash against either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich and a Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid in late April.

Hence, Flick absolutely needs to get it together and refine his tactics which led to a downfall in Signal Iduna Park for the coming important fixtures. La Blaugrana may have escaped with the result, but the warning signs were clear. Flick’s side will need to regroup, reassess, and raise their game if they hope to grab Europe’s biggest prize.

Barcelona

Borussia Dortmund

Champions League

Dortmund vs Barcelona

Serhou Guirassy

UCL 2024-25

Moumita Dutta

soccer

Football writer at The Playoffs. I’ve been obsessed with the beautiful game since I was a kid.. Eventually, I realized I could combine my passion for writing with my love for football, and I’ve never looked back. My favorite part of the job is everything—when you’re doing what you love, even a late-night deadline feels like extra time in a thrilling cup final. Lastly, Lionel Messi is the GOAT.