Guirassy’s Hattrick Not Enough as Barcelona Reach Champions League Semifinals!
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| Guirassy’s Hattrick Not Enough as Barcelona Reach Champions League Semifinals! |
Finally, after six long years, FC Barcelona are back in the UEFA Champions League semifinals! Even though they lost 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the quarterfinal, their 5-3 lead on aggregate was enough to secure their spot in the final four. Talk about surviving the heat!
The match at Signal Iduna Park was intense from the first whistle. Dortmund came out strong, pressing high and putting pressure on Barcelona’s defense. In the 11th minute, Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring with a cool penalty after Barca’s keeper, Wojciech Szczesny, committed a foul in the box. The German crowd roared as Dortmund took the early lead.
Barcelona struggled to respond. Just minutes into the second half, Guirassy struck again—this time with a powerful header to make it 2-0. The atmosphere was electric. But just when Dortmund fans were dreaming of a comeback, disaster struck. Ramy Bensebaini accidentally scored an own goal in the 54th minute, cutting the lead to 2-1 and giving Barcelona a bit of breathing room.
Guirassy wasn’t done yet. In the 76th minute, he completed his hattrick and gave Dortmund a 3-1 lead on the night. Unfortunately for the home fans, that still wasn’t enough. Barca’s 4-0 victory in the first leg proved too much to overturn. Despite Dortmund’s heroic effort and Guirassy’s brilliant night, the Catalan giants booked their place in the semifinals.
Frenkie de Jong: Back in the Semis!
For Frenkie de Jong, this moment is extra special. The last time he reached the semifinals was in 2019 with Ajax, when they were heartbreakingly knocked out by Tottenham Hotspur thanks to a last-minute Lucas Moura hattrick. Now, with Barcelona, De Jong has another shot at reaching the final—this time with one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
De Jong started the match and put in a solid performance, even though he picked up a yellow card in the first half. He nearly helped set up a goal for Jules Koundé with a beautiful pass, but it wasn’t converted.
Next Stop: Inter Milan or Bayern Munich
Barcelona’s journey isn’t over yet. In the semifinals, they’ll face the winner between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich—two European powerhouses. It won’t be easy, but with Barca’s current momentum in La Liga and their Copa del Rey final appearance, confidence is high in Camp Nou.
Quick Stats Recap:
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Serhou Guirassy scored a hattrick but couldn’t prevent Dortmund’s exit.
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Barcelona endured the pressure and held onto their aggregate advantage.
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It’s Frenkie de Jong’s first Champions League semifinal since 2019.
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Barcelona are eyeing their first Champions League title since 2015.
Despite Guirassy’s individual brilliance, it’s Barcelona who came out smiling. The team has finally ended their long semifinal drought, and fans have every reason to dream big again. With Frenkie de Jong and co. pushing hard, could this be the year they bring European glory back to Camp Nou?
Stay tuned for more Champions League drama and keep cheering for your favorite team. Força Barça!
