Barcelona secured a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday, with a hat-trick from Raphinha leading the way for the Catalan giants.
Hansi Flick’s men were looking to avenge a six-game losing streak against Barcelona, which had been their Achilles’ heel since 2015. However, the former German national team coach could only watch on as his side crumbled under the intensity of Barcelona’s counter-attacking style.
Flick’s decision to employ a narrow formation, which saw Joshua Kimmich and Raphael Guerreiro hugged to the wings, left Bayern vulnerable to counter-attacks. It was only a matter of time before Barcelona exploited this weakness, and Raphinha delivered the decisive blow on the quarter-hour mark. He picked up a clever pass from Fermin Lopez and then outmuscled Kimmich before slotting the ball past Manuel Neuer.
Kimmich’s mistakes didn’t stop there. On 18 minutes, his failed attempt to clear the ball led to Barcelona’s second goal. Michael Olise’s cross from the right flank found the Bayern captain, who mistimed his header and allowed the ball to fall kindly to Raphinha. He coolly slotted home the second goal of the game.
Bayern drew level just before halftime when Harry Kane equalised after a lovely one-two with Raphael Guerreiro. However, this momentum was short-lived, as Barcelona restored their lead on 41 minutes. Pedri’s pass found Inaki Pena, who rolled the ball into the path of Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker coolly slotted the ball into the net to regain the lead for his side.
Raphinha added the cherry on top in the 45th minute with his second goal. Marc Casado’s impressive long pass found the winger, who cut onto his right foot and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the far top corner.
Barcelona were comfortable cruising, but Raphinha had other plans. He wrapped up the scoring with a devastating hat-trick strike just five minutes into the second half. Lamine Yamal’s pass found Raphinha, who again beat Neuer with aplomb.
As the match wore on, Bayern became increasingly disjointed. Kompany’s quadruple substitution did little to change the momentum, and Barcelona rode out the remaining minutes comfortably to claim a convincing win.
Raphinha was undoubtedly the star of the show, with a trio of clinical finishes showcasing his devastating finishing ability. Lewandowski, on the other hand, struggled to make an impact against his former club, eventually withdrawing on the hour mark.
GK: Inaki Pena – 6/10
RB: Jules Kounde – 5/10
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 6/10
CB: Inigo Martinez – 6/10
LB: Alejandro Balde – 6/10
CM: Pedri – 8/10
CM: Marc Casado – 7/10
RM: Lamine Yamal – 7/10
LM: Raphinha (c) – 10/10
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 7/10
ST: Harry Kane – 7/10
SUBS:
SUB: Frenkie de Jong (61′ for Lopez) – 6/10
SUB: Dani Olmo (76′ for Raphinha) – 6/10
SUB: Gavi (85′ for Pedri) – N/A
SUB: Ansu Fati (85′ for Yamal) – N/A
SUB: Pau Victor (85′ for Lewandowski) – N/A
SUBS not used: Wojciech Szczesny (GK), Diego Kochen (GK), Sergi Dominguez, Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, Pablo Torre.
Manager: Hansi Flick – 9/10
The German tactician can be credited with a clever plan to counter Barcelona’s width. However, the decision to play Kimmich and Guerreiro narrow failed to pay dividends as the Catalans’ intensity proved too much to handle.
GK: Manuel Neuer (c) – 3/10
RB: Raphael Guerreiro – 5/10
CB: Dayot Upamecano – 4/10
CB: Kim Min-jae – 4/10
LB: Alphonso Davies – 5/10
CM: Joshua Kimmich – 3/10
CM: Joao Palhinha – 5/10
RM: Michael Olise – 6/10
AM: Thomas Muller – 5/10
LM: Serge Gnabry – 7/10
ST: Harry Kane – 7/10
SUBS:
SUB: Leon Goretzka (60′ for Palhinha) – 6/10
SUB: Kingsley Coman (60′ for Gnabry) – 6/10
SUB: Jamal Musiala (60′ for Muller) – 5/10
SUB: Leroy Sane (60′ for Olise) – 5/10
SUB: Konrad Laimer (86′ for Guerreiro) – N/A
SUBS not used: Sven Ulreich (GK), Daniel Peretz (GK), Eric Dier, Adam Aznou, Arijon Ibrahimovic, Mathys Tel.
Manager: Vincent Kompany – 4/10
Kompany’s quadruple substitution in the 60th minute did little to spark a comeback, as his team continued to struggle with the pace and intensity of the match.
