5 hours ago
6
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
20 min Adeyemi runs at Kounde to win a corner. Dortmund have been terrific and high-pressing teams like PSG, who could meet Barcelona later in the competition, will be taking notes.
The corner is swung to the far post and met by Bensebaini, whose downward header from the angle is comfortably saved by Szczesny. That’s Dortmund’s fifth shot on target.
18 min Gerard Martin kicks the ball away and is given a warning by the referee. Is that a yellow-card offence in Uefa competitions? Not sure. You’re welcome!
16 min Gross has a goal disallowed for offside. This time Barcelona’s high line – a seriously high line, almost at the centre circle – worked, but Dortmund will fancy their chances of breaking that offside trap again.
15 min There’s also been an early goal in the other game at Villa Park. Scott Murray has more.
14 min Barcelona are surprisingly ragged. You’d expect them to take control of the game at some stage but they haven’t started well at all.
GOAL! Dortmund 1-0 Barcelona (agg: 1-4; Guirassy 11)
Serhou Guirassy clips a Panenka high into the net! For a second I thought he’d got too much on it, but it rippled the net and Dortmund have a soupçon of hope against Barça.
9 min: Penalty to Dortmund! It’s been coming. Gross runs onto Adeyemi’s pass and is brought down by Szczesny, a daft challenge with Gross moving away from goal. There’s a check for offside but Gross timed his run nicely.
6 min: More chances for Dortmund! Svensson, unmarked in the D, shoots straight Szczesny. Within seconds, Adeyemi crosses towards Guirassy, who slips and can’t make proper contact with his shot. Cubarsi (I think) boots the ball away desperately. Then Yan Couto collides with Gavi in the area and goes down in a lot of pain. It was a collision rather than a foul so no penalty. But Dortmund really should be ahed.
5 min: Chance for Dortmund! That was almost the perfect start for Dortmund. Adeyemi found the overlapping left wing-back Svensson, whose low cross took a touch off Cubarsi and reached Guirassy. His close-range volley was really well saved by Szczesny.
The flag went up against Guirassy, so had he scored it wouldn’t have counted.
4 min Beyer seizing on a loose touch but then gets a bit giddy and shoots straight at Szczesny from 25 yards. A pass to Guirassy was the better option.
3 min Plenty of early Barcelona possession. I must say, given Dortmund’s hopeless situation, the atmosphere is tremendous.
1 min Peep peep! Barcelona, in their Cagliari-style kit of red and blue halves, kick off from right to left as we watch.
The players gather round the centre circle to pay tribute to Dortmund legend Wilhelm Burgsmuller, who died last week aged 93.
A reminder of the teams
Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1) Kobel; Sule, Anton, Bensebaini, Yan Couto, Gross, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Adeyemi; Guirassy.
Substitutes: Meyer, Laurenz Lotka, Ozcan, Reyna, Brandt, Duranville, Ryerson, Watjen, Mane, Kabar, Bynoe-Gittens.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1) Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Gerard; de Jong, Gavi; Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Subs: Pena, Kochen, Martinez, Torres, Gonzalez, Fati, Torre, Christensen, Victor, Olmo, Garcia, Fort.
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
“Having a hard time building up any enthusiasm for either of these ties,” says Joe Pearson. “Sure, this Barcelona team isn’t Messi and Suarez, but this Dortmund team isn’t 2019 Liverpool, either. I just don’t see a dramatic turnaround here. And in the other match, this PSG team are not the bottlers of prior years. Might have to take a nap (I’m retired after all) instead. No offence.”
I’m with you. I think there’s an outside chance of a mad night at Villa Park, but I expect Barcelona and PSG to reach the final, never mind the semis.
The head-to-head
It’s quite surprising, given the status of both clubs, that this is the first time they’ve met in the knockout stages of a European competition. These are their meetings to date:
-
1997-98: Uefa Super Cup
Barcelona 2-0 Dortmund
Dortmund 1-1 Barcelona -
2019-20: Champions League group stage
Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 3-1 Dortmund -
2024-25: League stage
Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona -
2024-25: Quarter-final
Barcelona 4-0 Dortmund
There are four changes from the Barcelona side that won against Levante on Saturday. Gerard Martin, Pau Cubarsi, Frenkie de Jong and Gavi come in for Alejandro Balde, who is injured, Eric Garcia, Inigo Martinez and Pedri.
Borussia Dortmund make four changes from their 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the weekend.
In Yan Couto, Ramy Bensebaini, Felix Nmecha, Karim Adeyemi.
Out Emre Can, Julian Brandt, Julian Ryerson, Salih Ozcan.
Tonight’s other Champions League could be a cracker: Aston Villa v Paris Saint-Germain (1-3 agg). Scott Murray is covering that.
The players on a yellow card
Borussia Dortmund Yan Couto, Bensebaini, Guirassy, Beier, Adeyemi.
Barcelona Martinez.
Team news
Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1) Kobel; Sule, Anton, Bensebaini, Yan Couto, Gross, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Adeyemi; Guirassy.
Substitutes: Meyer, Laurenz Lotka, Ozcan, Reyna, Brandt, Duranville, Ryerson, Watjen, Mane, Kabar, Bynoe-Gittens.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1) Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Gerard; de Jong, Gavi; Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Subs: Pena, Kochen, Martinez, Torres, Gonzalez, Fati, Torre, Christensen, Victor, Olmo, Garcia, Fort.
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona in the Champions League. Look, I’m not sure how to break this to you, but there might not be much to see here. Barcelona lead 4-0 after a blistering first leg performance and are almost certain to reach their first Champions League semi-final since 2019.
That’s where the but comes in. The 2019 semi-final six years ago was a reminder of football’s vicissitudes: Barcelona went to Anfield for the second leg armed with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and a 3-0 lead. You know the rest. Even so, if Dortmund go through tonight, it’ll be one of the most astonishing turnarounds in football history.
Kick off 8pm BST.
