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    Barcelona on the Verge of Tragedy: Worst Performance of the Season!

    The Return of the Roma and Liverpool Ghosts

    Barcelona on the Verge of Tragedy: Worst Performance of the Season!

    Tonight, Barcelona under Hans-Dieter Flick nearly suffered the same fate as Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona, but this time the Catalans were slightly luckier.

    Barcelona on the Verge of Tragedy

    They are in the semifinals, breaking a six-year curse. Since 2019, Barcelona had not been among Europe’s top four teams, and they must celebrate this achievement wholeheartedly. However, until Pedri entered the pitch in the 60th minute, Flick’s Barcelona was not itself. Before that, the team displayed its worst performance due to nervousness among some players and mistakes by others.

    Video: 373280

    Barcelona had a disastrous game. Without possession and weak in pressing, the Catalan side conceded three goals, causing concern among fans.

    The Return of the Roma and Liverpool Nightmares

    In the 2016-17 quarterfinals, despite a 4-1 first-leg lead, Barcelona suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma and was eliminated. That goal by Kostas Manolas haunted Barcelona for a long time. Ernesto Valverde, then Barcelona’s coach, later claimed he wished they had won the first leg with a smaller margin to focus better on the return leg.

    A year later, history repeated itself differently, and Valverde was still on the bench. His team, led by Lionel Messi, won the first leg at Camp Nou 3-0. Luis Suárez scored the first goal, and Messi added two late goals, while Ousmane Dembélé missed a chance for a fourth in stoppage time. Liverpool, missing key attackers in the second leg at Anfield, crushed Barcelona with a stunning second-half performance, winning 4-0 to reach the final.

    Dortmund Came Close to the Dream

    Dortmund vs. Barcelona

    Dortmund also sought that dream comeback, but Barcelona played with experience tonight to dampen the enthusiasm of the Black and Yellows and secure their advancement.

    Barcelona started the game as if they were not part of the competition. With a four-goal lead from the first leg, they should have played with high concentration, ball retention, and no mistakes to deny their opponent, who attacked with full force from the start. But Barcelona did almost everything wrong. In attack, they rushed for a goal that seemingly could have sealed the tie. Their forwards were completely out of form and kept losing the ball. Without Pedri, whom Flick decided to keep on the bench, no one could calm the rhythm. Dortmund gradually gained confidence, especially after a clumsy penalty gave them the lead.

    Dortmund increased the pressure, and Barcelona remained error-prone and unable to create chances. In 15 minutes, the Germans had five shots, four on target. Karim Adeyemi was the most dangerous player, and it felt like Dortmund’s second goal was near. But it didn’t happen. As time passed, Barcelona improved slightly—not because they were dangerous, as their forwards were off form—but by keeping possession longer and playing in Dortmund’s half, reducing the danger. The first half ended with the feeling that it could have been worse.

    Dortmund started the second half aggressively as expected. Adeyemi and Julian Brandt forced Marc-André ter Stegen into two brilliant saves. After a corner, Dortmund scored their second, and fear gripped Barcelona fans. But luck favored Barcelona; Ferran Torres penetrated from the right, and his pass was accidentally turned into his own net by Ramy Bensebaini.

    Barcelona vs. Dortmund

    The Germans played as expected, coming at Barcelona with full force to scare them. And they succeeded. It seemed Barcelona’s torment was over, but Dortmund’s third goal by Niclas Füllkrug brought them back into the tie and put Barcelona under pressure for another 20 minutes—pressure that yielded nothing.

    Barcelona returns to the Champions League semifinals after six years. The last time, they experienced the Liverpool disaster (4-0), but now Hans-Dieter Flick, the coach who restored greatness to Barcelona, is in charge and eager to enjoy the moment.

    First Defeat of the Year

    Barcelona's first defeat in 2025

    It was not a good night for Barcelona’s defenders. The first defeat in 2025—since December 21, when they lost to Atlético Madrid—Barcelona had gone 24 games unbeaten, which ended in Dortmund. In the Champions League, the Catalans have nine wins, one draw, and two losses. The events in Germany certainly did not please Flick, but this was a knockout stage where Barcelona advanced with a five-goal aggregate.

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