Lewandowski strikes twice as Barcelona thrash Dortmund 4-0

Imperious Barcelona thumped visitors Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday after Robert Lewandowski netted twice against his old club to earn the Catalans a sizeable lead.

The treble-chasing Barca predictably dominated the opening stages and grabbed the lead following Raphinha's strike in the 25th minute. A string of saves from Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel frustrated Barca for the remainder of the first half.

Barcelona emerged more determined following the break and it took them only three minutes to score the second with Raphinha assisting Lewandowski, who nodded home from close-range.

The Polish striker extended their lead in the 66th minute from just inside the box while Lamine Yamal wrapped up another demolition job by Barcelona in the 77th minute

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was quick to silence suggestions that his side had already booked their place in the semi-finals. He played down Barca's sizeable lead ahead of next week's return visit to Germany. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... We are definitely not qualified yet! You never know what's going to happen because football is just a crazy sport," he told Movistar Plus.

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"To advance we have to play in Dortmund like we did today, without making mistakes. We played very well and when you play like that you score goals, which is what happened."

Speaking at a press conference, Flick said, "(Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha) are brilliant and very important for us, but so is our defence and those who come in from the bench.

"They have been showing that they can quickly make an impact and reach the same level as those who were on the pitch from the start.

"At this point of the season, with this schedule, it's so important that we keep all the legs fresh. So the team's depth is key.

"We played at a very high level, but we did make some mistakes and we can improve. Dortmund have very fast players but we defended really well. I am very happy."