In a thrilling attack of repeated twists and turns, it was the in-form boy who made the difference as Ferran Torres came off the Barcelona bench to grab a decisive brace to beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 at Gerguyy on Wednesday.
Both teams came into the match hoping to protect their eighth position in the Champions League standings, and played a very entertaining match. Halftime was goalless only due to poor finishing, but it didn’t last long.
Raphinha opened the scoring mins after the restart, yet a penalty from Serhou Guirassy would wipe out the score on the hour mark after a foul through Pau Cubarsi.
Then, just when the Brazilian seemed to be struggling with his form, Torres came off the bench to explosive effect. Having scored in his last two games before the match, the former Manchester City striker scored almost immediately, picking up the save from Fermin Lopez’s shot and burying it from close range.
Dortmund then equalized off another Guirassy strike, this time from open play, and it appeared the hosts had the upper hand, but that positive play would soon come undone.
From a Dortmund corner given directly to the visitors, Torres finished off a fierce counterattack to send Barcelona home with three problems and a dominant position in the search for a price ticket to the round of 16. On the other hand, it is a bitterly disappointing match. Defeat for Nuri Sahin, whose only other flaw in the UCL game was a harrowing cave against another Spanish giant in Real Madrid.
The Sporting New followed the Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as it happened.
Minute-by-minute updates as it happened | Team news and lineups
Location: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund, Germany) Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Keep track of each and every setting and purpose through SN Premier League live scoreboard
Initial compositions:
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Gregor Kobel (GK) — 26. Julian Ryerson (Couto, 46′), 23. Emre Can, 4. Nico Schlotterbeck, 5. Ramy Bensebaini — 20. Marcel Sabitzer, 8. Felix Nmecha — 16. Julien Duranville (Malen, 72′), 7. Gio Reyna (Gross, 72′), 43. Jamie Gittens — 9. Serhou Guirassy.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1, left): 13. Iñaki Peña (GK) – 23. Jules Kounde, 2. Pau Cubarsi, 5. Íñigo Martínez, 3. Alex Balde – 17. Marc Casado, 8Array Pedri – 19. Lamine Yamal, 20. Dani Olmo (de Jong, 71′), 11. Raphinha (F. López, 71′) — 9. Robert Lewandowski (F. Torres, 71′).
FULLTIME: Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona
What an absolute thriller! A 90 minutes filled with excitement and swings of momentum ended with Barcelona taking the three points thanks to Ferran Torres’ double off the bench, giving them four goals in their last three games.
Dortmund will be bitterly disappointed to have lost this match, as they survived the first two blows and had Barcelona on their heels towards the end of the match. The winner came out of a disastrous gift, and Nuri Sahin will know that he lost things today.
90+4 min: Chance, Dortmund! SO CLOSE AT THE DEATH! The hosts have a corner with time essentially up, and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel comes up for the last-gasp opportunity. It’s swung in to the head of who else but Serhou Guirassy, but the Dortmund striker heads it viciously over the crossbar.
90+2 min: After 4 minutes of stoppage time, Ferran Torres is cautioned.
85th min: GOAL! BARCELONA! Oh dear, Borussia Dortmund have conceded a horrible goal while in full control of the match! After a Dortmund corner, Pascal Gross gifts a transitional opportunity to Barcelona, and the hosts make an absolute mess of it, leaving Ferran Torres with the ball clean through on goal. He strikes it across the face of goal to put Barca ahead for a third time today!
VIDEO: Watch Torres goal in USA | Watch in Canada | Watch in UK | Watch in Australia
Minute 83: Dortmund are in the lead in this match at the moment, surely pressing! The locals smell blood in the water after cutting Barcelona’s advantage for a moment.
Minute 78: GOAL! DORTMUND! GUIRASSY EQUALIZES AGAIN! A comical goal that Barcelona conceded!
Pascal Gross made a perfectly timed run from deep and transparent towards the goal. This forces Iñaki Peña to move off his line to challenge Gross outside the penalty area, and the former Brighton player simply heads towards Guirassy, who passes him into the open net. !
VIDEO: Watch Dortmund’s goal in Canada | View in the UK
76th minute: Good luck, Dortmund! Oh my God, Serhou Guirassy heads in the middle of the box, but it doesn’t hit the crossbar!A great opportunity to temporarily reach the eco-friendly and soft goal is being missed!
Minute 75: GOAL! BARCELONA! FERRAN TORRES HAS AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT, HIS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE MATCH WITH A GOAL!
Gregor Kobel makes an extravagant save to prevent Fermín López from scoring with a volley from the penalty spot, but his save lands just in front of Torres on goal, and he’s not wrong! Two substitutes combined for a great goal!
VIDEO: Watch Barcelona’s goal in Canada | View in the UK
72nd min: Dortmund make their first changes of the match, with Gio Reyna and Julien Duranville both exit to a strong applause, replaced by Donyell Malen and Pascal Gross.
Minute 69: Good luck, Barcelona! WHAT A SAVE FOR GREGOR KOBEL! An excellent dive save to prevent Dani Olmo from scoring a shouting goal at the top of the box!It was a delightful decision through Barcelona when Jules Kounde burst in down the right in front of Yan Couto, who he knew was in a reserve. After several reductions, Olmo may have shot and missed it in front of the Dortmund goalkeeper, and Lewandowski may not be able to hold on!
Shortly after, Barcelona make a triple change as Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha are off. Hansi Flick completely reworks his attacking unit bringing on Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez, and Frenkie de Jong.
64th minute: We just took a closer look at Raphinha’s first goal and boy, there’s a lot to unpack here. First of all, only a fraction of an inch is at stake since your armpit is right on the line. Secondly, there appears to be evidence of handball on the part of Dani Olmo when picking up the ball after causing a loss of the ball in the center of the field, which will leave doubts surrounding the incident.
61st min: Shortly after the restart, Ramy Bensebaini is booked for catching Jules Kounde, and he will miss the next Champions League match after triggering a yellow card suspension.
Minute 58: PENALTY, DORTMUND! Pau Cubarsi brings down Serhou Guirassy, who flees to respond to a cross from the right that cuts the attacker’s heel, and the referee scores the point! The French referee also shows Cubarsi a yellow card, while Dortmund captain Emre Can protects the ball and the penalty spot in the VAR control.
The resolution is maintained and it is Guirassy who goes forward to take the penalty. . . GOAL! DORTMUND! He sends an accurate shot into the back left corner of the goal, leaving Iñaki Peña helpless despite his clever guess!
VIDEO: Watch Dortmund’s goal in the United States | See in Canada | View in the UK
Minute 57: Yan Couto, a half-time substitute, is cautioned just 16 minutes after his appearance after cutting off Dani Olmo, who had dispossessed him. Dortmund are starting to show some frustration, it seems to be there in this match and the equalizer may soon be smart.
Minute 53: GOAL! BARCELONA! You knew this match would be scoreless forever, and Raphinha pulls off a fierce breakaway to open the game! It seems like the case of Dortmund a few minutes ago, but the flag is still down for the visitors! Of course it will be checked, it’s still valid for the time being. . . and it survives further inspection!
There is a turnover in midfield that triggers the attack, and the Brazilian does the job himself after clinging to a vertical advantage in the gift.
VIDEO: Watch Raphinha goal in USA | Watch in Canada | Watch in UK | Watch in Australia
52nd minute: Felix Nmecha receives a yellow card for stepping on Pedri’s foot in an off-time tackle.
Minute 50: Chance, Dortmund! The hosts put 3 players in front of Barcelona’s top line in a fierce counterattack, and Serhou Guirassy sent the ball into the net after a Jamie Gittens cross! However, the offside flag is flying at the end, and you knew it. It was going to happen with so many players breaking Barcelona’s defensive line.
2nd half kickoff: They’re back under way with just one change between the two sides, as Yan Couto enters the match for Julian Ryerson at right back. It’s an odd change if it were tactical, as Ryerson was positive through the opening 45 minutes, so an injury may be the cause for the switch.
HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona
The exciting but ultimately unproductive first forty-five minutes are coming to an end as both groups will be disappointed and relieved to see the clean score. The two clubs traded blows at the half, but neither team was able to generate the proper finishing touch. necessary to locate the advance.
If anything like the first half, the striker of the era promises to be exciting and potentially decisive if either team can create something special.
45 1 minute: In the best summary of the first half, Serhou Guirassy appears in hectares of area about 12 meters from the goal, just to the left of the penalty spot, but he completely misses his shot and brushes it very far from the second stick. . A very disappointing effort.
42nd minute: Good luck, Dortmund! The hosts claim a penalty when Serhou Guirassy claims he pushed back while trying to respond to a cross from deep left flank.
Once play comes to a stop, the French official angrily shows Marcel Sabitzer a yellow card for booting the ball away in frustration. VAR has a look but eventually determines not to intervene. It’s the right call, as there was maybe a little tug of the torso by Inigo Martinez, but there’s ultimately not much else in it.
Minute 40: Good luck, Dortmund! EXCLUSIVE ATTENTION FROM INAKI PENA! He makes a brilliant reflex save on Serhiy Guirassy’s head from close range. To be fair, Guirassy would almost have been called offside if the goal had been scored, but Peña didn’t know it at the time!
Minute 36: Good luck, Barcelona! Jules Koundé tested Gregor Kobel with another diving save, this one much clumsier, but the Dortmund goalkeeper was up to the task and stopped the attempt.
34th min: Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson is down after taking a Robert Lewandowski palm to the face, with the Barca striker jockeying for position. The referee didn’t see it, and it’s not worth a look for a red card, so we play on. If the official catches it, it’s probably a yellow card.
30th minute: Both groups continue to show their intelligent aim to move the ball quickly, while Dortmund look a little nervous. On some occasions they are almost trapped in possession, but manage to maintain control without letting go of it in a dangerous position.
Gio Reyna crops up at the top of the penalty area and crashes into a shot, but sails it well wide of the post.
21st min: Lamine Yamal forces Gregor Kobel to make a diving save to the goalkeeper’s left at the near post, but he has it covered with relative ease.
18th min: Chance, Dortmund! Marcel Sabitzer puts a wonderful chance over the crossbar! It’s absolutely brilliant down the right from young Julien Duranville, who dazzles on the dribble and cooks his way into the penalty area before firing a fizzed cutback to the penalty spot. There, Sabitzer was waiting, but the feed was just a bit hot and he’s unable to react in time, leaning back as he redirects the ball into the stands.
Minute 14: Good luck, Barcelona! Now it is Barcelona’s turn to create a counterattack, and once it is up to Alex Balde to throw the ball in front of the goal. He does it with aplomb, but Raphinha’s slippery winger is largely off target. To be fair to the Brazilian, he does get a little closer to the target than you might expect, sliding to find the ball about 12 meters from the net.
Minute 9: It’s a start full of life for both teams. Dortmund basically play on the counterattack, and Serhou Guirassy is flagged for offside near the halfway line after playing transparently from deep.
4th min: Good luck, Barcelona! The visitors have an early lead and see two quick chances go astray! Dani Olmo fails to hit a dangerous delivery from Alex Balte, and when recycling, Raphinha misses the opportunity with a slippery shot.
Kickoff: They are underway in Germany! Two teams with high expectations face each other, but there are at most three points left to play for. Will either of the two aspects come out with the maximum?
15 mins to kickoff: With so many first-choice Dortmund attackers missing, a lot of the creativity and danger will have to come from England youth international Jamie Gittens, still just 20 years old but now a well-established regular for the German side.
This season, Gittens has been one of the most underrated young players in Europe’s big five leagues, with a statistically notable profile against Golden Boy winner Lamine Yamal, today’s opponent. Although his passing is still in progress, the Dortmund youngster excels at passing the ball forward when dribbling, and also makes a defensive move. One to watch tonight as the game temporarily approaches!
???????? Jamie Gittens (Bourussia Dortmund, 20)??? Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, 17)?? #DortmundBarcelonaCompare players ? https://t.co/McR5zrPkTO pic.twitter.com/nc6BPhJdET
30 mins to kickoff: One interesting storyline to watch today and beyond for Barcelona is their goalkeeping situation. With Marc-Andre ter Stegen out for the year with an ACL tear, the club coaxed Wojciech Szczesny out of retirement…only to plant him firmly on the bench and let Inaki Pena retain his starting spot.
What’s the point of bringing in Szczesny as a substitute for the entire season? It’s not that Peña has been sensational: his differential of 0. 2 xGOT/goals conceded puts him squarely in the middle of the pack of La Liga goalkeepers this season.
45 mins to kickoff: For Dortmund, there are a number of surprises from Nuri Sahin. They are missing their incisive attacking trio of Julian Brandt, Donyell Malen, and Karim Adeyemi, all struggling with injuries — the former absent entirely while the latter pair are on the bench.
In their places come American international Gio Reyna, who starts for the first time all year after recovering from a groin issue, and 18-year-old Belgian winger Julien Duranville who also gets his first start of the season. They are two players with a lot to prove, and while there’s no doubt Dortmund are short-handed up front, it’s a show of faith given the presence of the talented Pascal Gross on the bench, who could have also been chosen to fill in.
Gio Reyna, who has been injured for most of the season and has played just 63 minutes in total in all competitions, starts Dortmund’s most important game of the season. At Barcelona’s house ? pic. twitter. com/FyaBcIMnHR
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in, and there’s only one surprise for Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, who sticks with Marc Casado in midfield despite reports that he would switch back to Frenkie de Jong after the disappointing draw against Real Betis on the weekend. The 21-year-old Casado has won the German boss’s favor this season, filling in for an injured de Jong earlier in the year and playing well enough to keep his spot.
While there were reports that his performance in the weekend draw were enough to convince the manager of a switch, that has not come to pass.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: The man tasked with stopping Robert Lewandowski is Nico Schlotterbeck, who has won the most duels of anyone in the Champions League this year. He’s been particularly good in the air, winning aerial challenges a whopping 74% of the time in the Bundesliga this season, and has coupled that with an astonishing 89% ground duel win rate through the small sample size of five Champions League matches.
Nico Schlotterbeck has the best duel win % of any player to contest 20+ duels in the Champions League this season.◎ 21 duels contested◎ 17 duels won◉ 80.95% duel win percentageTonight, he comes up against Robert Lewandowski, who has scored more goals against Dortmund… pic.twitter.com/EpoJr7oDhB
1 hour and 30 minutes before kick-off: Robert Lewandowski’s 2024/25 season has been a true resurgence for the Polish international. Last year surely seemed cooked, seeing a sharp drop in chance volume and chance conversion, indicating that its time might be approaching, but this year it’s all been erased.
Over the course of 16 La Liga games this season in 1,350 minutes, Lewandowski has scored 16 goals with 15. 63 xG; compare that to his 19 goals with 17. 91 xG last year, and he almost matches any of the marks in terms of playing time. He has terrorized his former club Dortmund since leaving Rhineland, scoring 27 goals in 26 games against BVB, but has never faced them in the Champions League before.
1 hour forty-five minutes before kick-off: An attractive tactical war to follow in today’s match will be which team seeks to retain maximum merit when it comes to possession. Both groups like the speed of the game, while they sit down. 5th (Barcelona, 60. 78%) and 6th (Dortmund, 60. 24%) among the Champions League groups in their first five games of the competition.
Possession, of course, doesn’t necessarily lead to success — Liverpool top the table with a perfect record through six games, but have only held 55.43% possession, good for 10th in the UCL field. Still, the idea is to throw the opponent off their game, so the team with less of the ball may feel uncomfortable in such a situation.
2 hours to kickoff: Borussia Dortmund have been fantastic in Europe this season, but the last time they faced a big Spanish club, Nuri Sahin made a critical error. Against Real Madrid, the Dortmund manager brought an additional defender on way too early, subbing Waldemar Anton in the 55th minute to replace winger Jamie Gittens with a 2-0 lead.
It was an incredibly naive resolution that allowed a mediocre White team to get back into the game, and they scored all five goals after that moment in a 5-2 victory. The first-year manager can’t make such mistakes if he needs to grab a big scalp here.
Nuri Sahin is largely to blame for Borussia Dortmund’s collapse today. In the 55th minute he brought in a defender! Against Real Madrid! Do you live under a rock?
This Champions League league phase match kicks off from Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, December 11 at 9 p.m. local time in Dortmund, Germany. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
Niklas Sule suffered a knock to his right ankle last weekend and joined Waldemar Anton (groin) on the bench, while Julian Brandt is still unfit to recover from his hamstring injury. Karim Adeyemi has recovered from his hamstring injury but is only eligible for a place on the bench, with 17-year-old Julien Duranville taking his place.
Gio Reyna surprisingly starts after returning from injury over the weekend, while regular Donyell Malen is left on the bench. Max Beier was forced off due to an injury sustained against Gladbach and misses out.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund subs (11): Meyer (GK), Kotka (GK), Kabar, Benkara, Couto, Azhil, Watjen, Gross, Campbell, Malen, Adeyemi.
Ronald Araujo, who has yet to appear this season after suffering a serious hamstring injury at the Copa America, could finally be fit to play on the pitch and take over Barcelona. Meanwhile, Gavi is still regaining his full fitness after a torn ACL.
Despite scoring in straight games, Ferran Torres is set to drop to the bench. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal will get the nod to start in front alongside Robert Lewandowski. Despite speculation that Frenkie de Jong could come into the midfield, Marc Casado retains the faith of Hansi Flick.
Barcelona lineup (4-2-3-1, from right to left): Iñaki Peña (GK) – Koundé, Cubarsi, Íñigo Martínez, Balde – Pedri, Casado – Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha – Lewandowski
Barcelona subs (12): Szczesny (GK), Astralaga (GK), Fort, Martin, Araujo, Garcia, de Jong, Gavi, F. Lopez, P. Torre, Victor, F. Torres.
Here we explain how to watch the game in some of the main regions of the world:
TV Channel: – Live Stream: Paramount+
This game is not available for live television broadcast in the United States. Streaming features are available on Paramount+, which currently has a FREE 7-day trial.
WATCH: Best of the Champions League live in the US on Paramount (free trial)
In Canada, DAZN exclusively offers live and on-demand all Champions League matches of the 2024/25 season.
DAZN originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in May 2018 while replacing TSN, extended the right to broadcast the tournament from 2024 to 2027 this year.
Stan Sport first acquired the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League in 2021 and extended the broadcast rights to the tournament from 2024 to 2027 last year.
Australian viewers can catch all 189 Champions League matches on Stan Sport this season. Additionally, they can also catch all UEFA Europa League games and UEFA Conference League fixtures on the platform.
This setting is not shown on live TV, but will be available to JioTV or Sony LIV subscribers.
This match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports Four in the UK, while subscribers can stream the action on the Discovery+ platform.
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Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.