UEFA CL: Despite Guirassy's hat-trick, Barça advances to the semis!

Despite a 3-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund led by Serhou Guirassy on Tuesday night, FC Barcelona has qualified for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, thanks to their stunning 4-0 victory in the first leg at Camp Nou. The Catalans will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the next round.

With a significant lead in hand, Hansi Flick's squad appeared to approach this quarter-final return leg with a certain degree of relaxation.

In the opening minutes, they faced intense German pressure. Szczesny conceded a penalty as early as the 11th minute, which the Guinean superstar Serhou Guirassy coolly converted with a panenka (1-0).

Barça struggles to pose a threat

Offensively disorganized, Barcelona struggled to pose a threat. Despite Szczesny's crucial saves, they conceded again to a header from the relentless Guirassy (2-0, 49th minute), assisted by Algerian Bensebaini.

However, an own goal by the same Bensebaini (2-1, 54th minute) quickly tempered BVB's enthusiasm. Guirassy, unstoppable, completed his hat-trick (3-1, 75th minute), briefly rekindling hope.

But Barça, without shining, held firm. The essential was secured: the Catalan club returns to the semi-finals, despite the scare.

Amine Jomni |

Editorfr

African football writer and sports journalist covering football news, stories and insights while sharing his expertise with fans across the continent.