Lewandowski haunts Dortmund as Barca take giant step towards Champions League last-four

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring his side's second goal. Pic: Joan Monfort/AP

Champions League quarter-final first leg: Barcelona 4 Borussia Dortmund 0 

Barcelona moved a significant step closer to ending a decade of Champions League hurt as Robert Lewandowski returned to haunt his old club and Raphinha underlined his status as the Catalans' modern-day Lionel Messi.

Brazilian international Raphinha cemented his place as the leading marksman in this season's competition with his 12th goal in 11 games as the rampant Spaniards made Tuesday's return leg in Dortmund virtually redundant, even more so when the prolific forward turned provider to tee-up the second goal just after the interval for Lewandowski, whose clinical brace takes him to 99 goals for the club.

The pair now have 23 goals between them in Europe this season to leave Barcelona unbeaten in the last 23 games. 

Their great rivals Real Madrid are on the verge of elimination thanks to the set-piece prowess of Arsenal's Declan Rice, but Barca look nailed-on for the semi-finals for the first time since 2019, where they will face Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in their bid for a sixth European title 10 years after clinching their most recent.

Dortmund were given an early warning as to the chastening evening they were to endure and they were fortunate not to find themselves three goals down inside the first seven minutes.

With the visitors surrendering possession for fun, Lamine Yamal was at the heart of much of Barca's good early work as the teenager was given far too much space to make life hell for hapless Dortmund left-back Ramy Bensebaini.

Gregor Kobel beat out the youngster's fierce drive, before Lewandowski rightly gave his young team-mate a mouthful for firing across the face of goal when the veteran striker had a close-range tap-in had the ball been cut-back.

Kobel brilliantly tipped a first-time Lewandowski effort over the bar from Raphina's inviting low centre and it came as something of a surprise that it took 25 minutes for the deadlock to be finally broken.

The breakthrough eventually arrived thanks to Raphina, who now has 19 goal involvements in the competition this season to equal Messi's club record, which was finally confirmed after a lengthy VAR check for offside.

For all the spectacular long-range strikes the former Leeds favourite has added to his showreel, his latest appearance on the scoresheet came from no more than a couple of inches as the South American followed up to steal what would have been a first Champions League goal for teenage team-mate Pau Cubarsi.

The goal stemmed from a free-kick conceded by Karim Adeyemi for the very modern footballing crime of pulling the hair of defender Jules Kounde.

Inigo Martinez headed the ball back for Cubarsi to poke the ball towards the bottom corner, but as it was about to cross the line, Raphinha slid in to move closer to erasing Messi's name from one of a plethora of club records held by the Argentinian.

Despite Barca's dominance, it was by no means one-way traffic, and Serhou Guirassy could have scored twice before half-time for last season's beaten finalists, only to produce a couple of embarrassing air-shots from highly presentable chances for the Germans.

They proved to be costly misses as the La Liga leaders doubled their advantage three minutes after the break.

Dortmund were again architects of their own downfall, giving the ball away for Yamal to cross from the right to the far post where Raphinha headed back across the face of goal for Lewandowski to nod home the second.

Fermin Lopez should have made it three when his shot struck the outside of a post midway through the second-half but Lewandowski soon underlined the gulf in class between the sides with a firm finish into the bottom corner from a Lopez pass at the culmination of a stunning 80-yard counter-attack, the Poland international's 29th goal in 21 games against the club he left 11 years ago.

Yamal applied the icing to the cake 13 minutes from time with a calm left-foot finish into the bottom corner from Raphinha's inch-perfect pass as the hapless Germans were ruthlessly cut open again.

Barcelona (4-2-1-3): Szczesny 7; Koude 7, Cubarsi 8, Inigo Martinez 8 (Araujo 81, 6) , Balde 7; De Jong 7, Pedri 8 (Garcia 81, 6); Fermin Lopez 7 (Gavi 74, 6); Yamal 8 (Fati 86, 6), Lewandowski 9 (Torres 81, 6), Raphinha 9.

Dortmund (4-2-1-3): Kobel 5; Ryerson 4 (Sule 79, 5), Can 4, Anton 4, Bensebaini 3; Nmecha 4 (Ozcan 68, 5), Chukwuemeka 5 (Reyna 68, 5); Brandt 4; Adeyemi 5 (Beier 46, 4), Guirassy 4, Gittens 4 (Duranville 79, 5).

Referee: Espen Eskas (Norway).