Barca crush Bayern in Champions League

Raphinha opened the scoring in the first minute and then added two more to complete his second hat-trick of a stellar season. Striker Robert Lewandowski also found the back of the net against his former club but was not happy, while coach Hansi Flick helped the hosts successfully avenge their treble-winning club.

Few expected Barca to win so big against their arch-rivals, when both teams were in good form in the domestic league. Meanwhile, Bayern also had the advantage in the head-to-head match, having won all five of their most recent matches against Barca, scoring 19 goals and conceding only two. "Barca took revenge on Bayern with a crushing defeat," was the headline of the article in the Catalan newspaper.World Deportivoafter the match

Despite playing away in Catalonia, Bayern were confident in pushing their defence into midfield to catch offside, but were doused in cold water in the first minute. Midfielder Fermin Lopez quickly passed the ball to Raphinha, who then dribbled past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to tap the ball into the empty net.

Barca also did not hesitate to push up their formation to put pressure despite taking the lead, making the match an open affair. In the 18th minute, from a cross from Serge Gnabry on the left, Harry Kane flew to volley close to the goal. But in the 36th minute, center-back Kim Min-jae missed his header, allowing Lopez to pass to Lewandowski, who easily tapped into the empty net.

The Polish striker raised his arms to indicate he was not happy, even though this was the 700th goal of his career. Before Lewandowski, only six players had reached this milestone, namely Josef Bican, Ferenc Puskas, Pele, Romario, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The stage for the remaining time seemed to honor Raphinha. In the 45th minute, midfielder Marc Casado crossed the wing for Raphinha to escape down the left, facing center-back Dayot Upamecano. The Brazilian star pulled the ball into the center, in front of the penalty area, then curled the ball with his weaker right foot into the far corner, defeating Neuer again.

Raphinha's brilliance has been an interesting discovery this season, as Barca fans have wanted to replace him with Nico Williams in the summer transfer window of 2024. Some fans even crossed out Raphinha's name on Barca's No. 11 shirt, replacing it with Williams. The 28-year-old midfielder was furious when he saw this image, and considered it a motivation to express himself.

Raphinha has scored nine goals and assisted six in 13 appearances for Barca this season. He completed his hat-trick against Bayern in the 56th minute, from a long pass from Lamine Yamal. The former Leeds midfielder got down quicker than Upamecano and Kim, before firing a low cross into the corner to seal a 4-1 win.

Raphinha also became the fourth player to score a hat-trick against Bayern in the history of the C1 Cup and Champions League, after Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero and Cristiano Ronaldo. This performance helped him receive 9.6 points according to statistics.FootballAs for Bayern, they have lost three consecutive away games in the Champions League.

Raphinha and Vinicius Junior both scored hat-tricks against the German top club, just before El Clasico on the evening of October 26. The upcoming match is expected to be exciting, with competitions between Yamal and Kylian Mbappe, or Dani Olmo and Jude Bellingham.