Barcelona have a 4-0 lead over Borussia Dortmund heading into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, but the Catalan giants are not letting their guard down.
La Liga leaders Barcelona outclassed Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, taking advantage of the German side’s willingness to play an open game. Goals came courtesy of Brazilian winger Raphinha, star striker Robert Lewandowski, and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
Barca were clear favourites heading into the match, boasting one of the most in-form forward lines in Europe and an unbeaten record that stretches to the beginning of this year. In contrast, Dortmund have been struggling in the Bundesliga, with the possibility of missing out on European competition next season.
However, despite their commanding lead in the tie, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has made it clear that his side are not taking anything for granted.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no… We are definitely not qualified yet!” said Flick. “You never know what’s going to happen because football is just a crazy sport. To advance we have to play in Dortmund like we did today, without making mistakes.”
Barcelona dominated the game in nearly every department, leaving their opponents with scraps. By the end of the game Barca had over 60 per cent possession and had had 10 attempts on goal, in contrast to Dortmund’s three. Dortmund did see a late attempt go in after Maximilian Beier finished off Julien Duranville’s cross, but the Belgian left winger had been offside in the build-up.
Asked about his team’s overall performance in the tie, Flick acknowledged their excellent display while stressing the need to stay grounded.
“I’m happy, I’m happy,” he said. “I think we had a really good match, performance was good, but also in some points we have to make it better.
“Our mentality is to always focus on what we want to do. Of course, 4-0 is a good result but what we have to play [at the Signal Iduna Park].”
