In a thrilling episode of repeated twists and turns, it was the in-form boy who made the difference as Ferran Torres came off the Barcelona bench to take a decisive brace to defeat 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 they played a very entertaining match. At half-time they were goalless only due to a bad finish, but it did not last long.
Raphinha opened the scoring nine minutes after the restart, but a Serhou Guirassy penalty would cancel that out on the hour mark after a Pau Cubarsi foul.
Then, with the Brazilian appearing to struggle with fitness, Torres entered off the bench to explosive effect. Having scored in each of his last two games entering the match, the former Man City forward struck almost immediately, collecting the parried save of a Fermin Lopez strike 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.
Off a Dortmund corner given straight to the visitors, Torres finished off a vicious counter to send Barcelona home with all three points and a commanding position in the hunt for a Round of 16 bye. On the other end, it’s a bitterly disappointing defeat for Nuri Sahin, whose only other blemish in UCL play came in a heartbreaking collapse against another Spanish giant in Real Madrid.
Sporting New has been following the Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona match live, offering results updates, observations, and highlights as they happen.
Minute by minute updates | Team and lineups
Location: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund, Germany)Referee: Francois Letexier (FRA)
Keep track of each and every setting and purposes through SN Premier League live scoreboard
Starting lineups:
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′).
FULL TIME: 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 hot 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: Good luck, Dortmund! SO CLOSE TO DEATH! The hosts have a corner when time is necessarily running out, and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel steps up to take advantage of the last chance. The ball heads towards Serhou Guirassy’s head, but the Dortmund striker viciously heads it over the crossbar.
90+2 min: Midway through four minutes of added time, Ferran Torres is booked.
Minute 85: GOAL! BARCELONA! Oh my God, Borussia Dortmund conceded a horrible goal when they were on top of the game! After a Dortmund corner, Pascal Gross presents Barcelona with a transition opportunity, and the hosts take full advantage of it, leaving Ferran Torres with the ball on goal. Hit head-on to give Barça the credit for the third time today!
VIDEO: Watch Torres’ goal in the United States | See in Canada | View in the UK | View in Australia
83rd min: Dortmund are in full control of this match at the moment, absolutely pouring on the pressure! The hosts can smell blood in the water after cutting down Barcelona’s lead a second time.
78th min: GOAL! DORTMUND! GUIRASSY EQUALIZES AGAIN! It’s a comical goal for Barcelona to concede!
Pascal Gross runs at the perfect time from deep and is transparent in goal. This forces Iñaki Peña to come off his line to challenge Gross outside the area, and the former Brighton player simply puts the ball beyond Guirassy, who flicks it into the open net.
VIDEO: Watch Dortmund’s goal in Canada | View in the UK
76th min: Chance, Dortmund! Oh dear, Serhou Guirassy has a wide-open header in the heart of the six-yard box, but misses over the crossbar! A massive opportunity to respond quickly to the go-ahead goal falls by the wayside!
75th min: GOAL! BARCELONA! FERRAN TORRES HAS AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT, HIS FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME WITH A GOAL!
Gregor Kobel makes an outlandish save to prevent Fermin Lopez from scoring a volley on the penalty spot, but his parry falls right at the feet of Torres on the doorstep, and he makes no mistake! Two substitutes combining for a lovely 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! A great dive save to prevent Dani Olmo from scoring a goal from shouting at the head of the area!It is a delightful play by Barcelona when Jules Kounde bursts in on the right past Yan Couto, who is aware that he is cautioned. After several reductions, it is Olmo who shoots but fails to position it in front of the Dortmund goalkeeper, and Lewandowski cannot 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’ve just taken a closer look at Raphinha’s first goal and, boy, is there a lot to unpack here. First of all, only a fraction of an inch is in play, since your armpit is right on the line. Secondly, there seems to be a trace of a handball by Dani Olmo when he picked up the ball after causing a turnover in the middle of the field, which will leave doubts about the incident.
61st minute: Shortly after the restart, Ramy Bensebaini is cautioned for catching Jules Kounde and will miss the next Champions League match after receiving a yellow card.
Minute 58: PENALTY, DORTMUND! Pau Cubarsi brought down Serhou Guirassy, who escaped to respond to a cross from the right that clipped the striker’s heel, and the referee pointed to the spot! The French referee also showed Cubarsi a yellow card, while Dortmund captain Emre Can protected the ball. and the penalty point resulting from the VAR control.
The resolution is maintained and it is Guirassy who comes up to the plate to take the penalty. . . GOAL! DORTMUND! He sends a precise shot into the back left corner of the goal, leaving Iñaki Peña helpless despite his clever estimation!
VIDEO: Watch Dortmund goal in USA | Watch in Canada | Watch in UK
Minute 57: Yan Couto, a half-time substitute, is cautioned just 16 minutes after his appearance after intercepting Dani Olmo, who had dispossessed him. Dortmund are starting to show some frustration, they seem to be present in this attack and could soon be smart to equalize.
53rd min: GOAL! BARCELONA! You knew this one wouldn’t stay scoreless forever, and Raphinha strikes on a vicious breakaway to open the game up! It looks similar to the Dortmund chance minutes ago, but the flag stays down for the visitors! It will be checked of course, but it stands for now…and it survives the closer 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’s goal in the United States | View in Canada | View in the UK | View in Australia
Minute 52: Felix Nmecha receives a yellow card for stepping on Pedri’s foot in a late tackle.
50th minute: Good luck, Dortmund! The hosts put 3 players past Barcelona’s top line in a fierce counterattack, and Serhou Guirassy sends the ball into the net after a cross from Jamie Gittens!However, the offside flag goes up at the end and you knew it was going to happen with so many players breaking through Barcelona’s defensive line.
Start of the second half: They are back on track with only one replacement between the two sides, as Yan Couto enters the game replacing Julian Ryerson at right back. This is a substitution if it were a tactical substitution, as Ryerson was positive for the first forty-five minutes, so an injury may be the cause of the substitution.
HALFTIME: 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 scoreline spotless. 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 this sounds like the first half, the striker of the era promises to be exciting and potentially decisive if either team manages to create something special.
45+1 minutes: In the best summary of the first half, Serhou Guirassy bursts onto acres of field about 12 meters from the goal, just to the left of the penalty spot, but completely misses his shot, deflecting it weakly from distance. mail. 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 was stopped, the French referee, angry, showed Marcel Sabitzer a yellow card for pushing the ball away in frustration. The VAR takes a look but, despite everything, decides not to intervene. There has been a small pat on the chest by Inigo Martinez, but in the end there is rarely much more.
Honestly, Guirassy would have almost been called offside if the goal had been scored, but Peña didn’t know it at the time!
36th min: Chance, Barcelona! Jules Kounde tests Gregor Kobel into yet another diving save, this one much more awkward, but the Dortmund goalkeeper rises to the occasion and parries away the attempt!
34th minute: Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson is on the ground after receiving a slap in the face from Robert Lewandowski, as the Barça striker fights for position. The referee didn’t see it and a red card is not valid, so we continue playing. If the referee sees it, it’s probably a yellow card.
30th min: Both sides continue to show good intent on moving the ball forward with quickness, although Dortmund look a little nervy while doing so. A few times they’re nearly caught in possession but manage to keep hold of things without coughing it up in a dangerous position.
Gio Reyna gave the impression of being at the top of the penalty area and crashed into a shot, but it went wide of the post.
Minute 21: Lamine Yamal forces Gregor Kobel to make a stop to the goalkeeper’s left near the post, but he covers it with relative ease.
Minute 18: Good luck, Dortmund! Marcel Sabitzer puts a wonderful chance on the crossbar! It is surely brilliant down the right from youngster Julien Duranville, who dazzles off the dribble and works his way into the penalty area before making a brilliant cut from the penalty spot. There, Sabitzer waits, the pass still a little hot and he couldn’t react in time, leaning back to redirect the ball to the stands.
14th min: Chance, Barcelona! Now it’s Barcelona’s turn to create a counter-attack, and again it’s down to Alex Balde to deliver a ball in front of goal. He does so with aplomb, but Raphinha’s sliding finish flies well off the mark. In fairness to the Brazilian, it comes a bit further from goal than you’d usually expect to see such a chance taken, sliding to meet the ball about 12 yards from 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 are in the lead from the start and see two quick chances deflected!Dani Olmo fails to hit a dangerous pass from Alex Balte, and when he recycles, Raphinha misses the opportunity with a slippery shot.
Kickoff: They’re under way in Germany! Two teams with high expectations clash, but at most there are just three points to go around. Will either side emerge with the maximum?
15 minutes from kick-off: With so many of Dortmund’s starting forwards absent, much of the creativity and danger will have to come from the young Englishman, the foreigner Jamie Gittens, who is still only 20 years old but is now a normal player well established in football. German side.
This season, Gittens has been one of the most underrated young players in the big five of the European leagues, with a statistical profile very similar to that of Golden Boy winner Lamine Yamal, the opponent of the day. Although his passing remains a picture in his advances, the Dortmund youngster excels at passing the ball forward during dribbling, and also makes defensive changes. Tonight watch as the attack is fast approaching!
???????? Jamie Gittens (Bourussia Dortmund, 20)??? Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, 17)?? #DortmundBarcelonaCompare players ? https://t.co/McR5zrPkTO pic.twitter.com/nc6BPhJdET
30 minutes before kick-off: An attractive story to follow for Barcelona and beyond is the goalkeeping situation. With Marc-André ter Stegen out for the year due to a torn ACL, the club brought Wojciech Szczesny out of retirement. . . only to plant him firmly on the bench and let Iñaki Peña retain his starting spot.
What exactly was the point of bringing Szczesny on as a backup for the full season? It’s not as if Pena has been sensational — his 0.2 xGOTA/goals conceded differential 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 his place are the American foreigner Gio Reyna, who makes his debut this year after recovering from a groin problem, and the Belgian winger Julien Duranville, 18, who also makes his debut as a starter this season. They are two players who have a lot to prove, and although there is no doubt that Dortmund is lacking in attack, it is a sign of religion given the presence of the talented Pascal Gross on the bench, who could also have been selected to reposition himself. him.
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
One hour before kick-off: The lineups are now available, and there is a surprise for Barcelona coach Hansi Flick if he sticks with Marc Casado in midfield despite rumors that he will return to Frenkie de Jong after the disappointing draw against Real Betis this weekend. Casado, 21, has earned the German coach’s favor this season, replacing the injured De Jong last year and betting well enough to keep his place.
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 and 15 minutes before kick-off: The man who can stop Robert Lewandowski is Nico Schlotterbeck, who has won the most duels in the Champions League this year. He has been particularly intelligent in the air, winning demanding aerial situations on 74 occasions. percent of the time in the Bundesliga this season, and has combined that with an astonishing 89 percent duel win rate thanks to the Champions League’s short five-match length.
Nico Schlotterbeck has the duel winning percentage of all players who have played more than 20 duels in the Champions League this season. ◎ 21 duels played ◎ 17 duels won ◉ 80. 95% winning percentage in duels Tonight he faces Robert Lewandowski, who scored the most goals against Dortmund… pic. twitter. com/EpoJr7oDhB
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Robert Lewandowski’s 2024/25 season has been a true revival for the Poland international. He looked absolutely cooked last year, seeing a big drop in both chance volume and chance conversion which indicated his time may be coming, but this year that’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 kickoff: An attractive tactical war at the moment today will be to see which team looks to have the biggest ownership advantage. These two groups like to control the speed of an attack, as they are fifth (Barcelona, 60. 78%) and sixth (Dortmund, 60. 24%) among Champions League groups in their first five games of the competition.
Possession, of course, does not necessarily lead to great fortune: Liverpool top the table with a better record in six games, but they only have 55. 43 percent possession, which puts them in tenth position in the league table. the UCL. Still, the idea is to throw the opponent off their game, so that the team with less ball can feel uncomfortable in such a situation.
Two hours before kick-off: Borussia Dortmund have been in Europe this season, but the last time they faced a big Spanish club, Nuri Sahin made a critical mistake. Against Real Madrid, the Dortmund coach brought in an extra defender too early, replacing Waldemar Anton in the 55th minute to update winger Jamie Gittens to a 2-0 lead.
It was an extremely naive decision which allowed a mediocre Blancos side to get back in the match, and they scored all five goals after that moment in a 5-2 win. The first-year boss cannot make errors such as that if he wants to grab a big scalp here.
Nuri Sahin is largely to blame for Borussia Dortmund’s collapse today. A defender came on in the 55th minute! Against Real Madrid!Do you live under a rock?
This Champions League championship phase adjustment will begin at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, December 11 at nine o’clock in the evening. local time in Dortmund, Germany. This is how this era came to some of the world’s major territories:
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 compatible for one bench spot, and 17-year-old Julien Duranville will take his place.
Gio Reyna starts in strange fashion after returning from injury this weekend, while regular Donyell Malen remains on the bench. Max Beier was forced to retire due to an injury suffered against Gladbach and is out of action.
Borussia Dortmund lineup (4-2-3-1, from right to left): Kobel (GK) – Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Sabitzer, Nmecha – Duranville, Reyna, Gittens – Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund substitutes (11): Meyer (Goalkeeper), Kotka (Goalkeeper), Kabar, Benkara, Couto, Azhil, Watjen, Gross, Campbell, Malen, Adeyemi.
Ronald Araujo, who has not yet appeared this season after suffering a serious hamstring injury in the Copa América, could finally be able to perform on the pitch and occupy the Barcelona bench. Meanwhile, Gavi is still regaining 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 XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Iñaki Peña (GK) – Kounde, Cubarsi, Iñigo 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 is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:
TV Channel: – Live Stream: Paramount+
This game is not available for live TV streaming in the United States. Streaming features are available on Paramount, which recently offered a FREE 7-day trial.
WATCH: Best of the Champions League 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 acquired the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League in May 2018, replacing TSN, and extended the tournament’s broadcast rights from 2024 to 2027 this year.
Stan Sport originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in 2021 and extended the right to broadcast 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 will be able to stream the action via 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.