Champions League – 10 years after the coronation of the “MSN”, Barça believes it again

On paper, the qualification of Barça for the semi-finals of the Queen competition of European football only looks like a formality, after having corrected Borussia Dormund 4 to 0 during the first leg, at home at the Olympic stadium in Montjuic, on the heights of the Catalan capital.

In the history of the event founded 70 years ago, only one club managed to overthrow a handicap of four or more goals: FC Barcelona, ​​against Paris SG, during the memorable “raised” of 2017 (4-0 defeat, Victory 6-1 on the return). These are the Raphinha teammates warned.

“It is true that we took a big step towards qualification with this 4-0 tonight, but it will still be necessary to go to Dortmund and reiterate this performance to be able to qualify. And then after, we will take the team that there will be in front of us. We do not do this kind of calculation”, had carefully commented on the French defender of Barça Jules Koundé after the first leg.

“We have to try to win. If that will be enough to pass, I don't know”said Dortmund sports director Lars Riercen after the draw in Munich (2-2) in the Bundesliga, speaking of the “greater feat in the history of Borussia Dortmund”in case of qualification for the half of the finalist of the last edition.

The Barcelona supporters have been weaned from the Champions League finals since the fifth and last continental coronation of the Blaugrana in 2015, at the Berlin Olympic stadium against Juventus Turin (3-1). At the time, the offensive trident was made up of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, the famous MSN.

This season, Barça found Messi's successor in creating the game in the person of Lamine Yamal. And in front of the goal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha set up at the top of the scorer ranking in C1 (respectively 11 and 12 achievements), at rhythms comparable to those of Neymar and Suarez.

This Trident 2.0, which has not yet won its letters of nobility (“Lyr”), martys the European defenses, with 36 goals scored in 11 games, or more than three goals per match on average, allowing its own defense a few generosity which could however prove to be fatal from the semi-finals.

All logically, it is towards another German legendary stadium that they looked at ten years later, the Allianz Arena of Munich which will host the Champions League final on May 31. A speaker that Barça coach Hansi Flick knows by heart.

It was there that he lived his first emotions on the bench, during the particular summer 2020 in the middle of Covid pandemic, winning the six -part with Bayern (championship, cup, champions league, supercups of Germany and Europe, club world).

With his resolutely offensive game, the 60 -year -old German succeeded in the Catalan hearts in Luis Enrique, which Barça will only be able to find in the final against Paris SG, the two clubs being in halves of different tables. Unqualified for the new club World Cup, he is still in the race for a five -capped quintuplely that would greatly suffice for Catalan supporters.

With this in mind, and thanks to the result of the first leg, Flick could well run to approach the decisive weeks in the best conditions.