RAPHINHA equalled Lionel Messi’s club record for goal involvements in a single Champions League campaign as Barcelona thrashed Borussia Dortmund to take command of their quarter-final tie.
The Brazilian forward scored and assisted twice to reach 19 goal involvements in the competition this term, the same as Messi achieved in the 2011-12 campaign.
Raphinha’s 12th European goal of the season gave Barcelona a deserved first-half lead, before Robert Lewandowski struck twice after the break and Lamine Yamal added a fourth to put the Spanish side on course for the semi-finals.
The hosts ran riot in the early stages and could have scored three times inside the opening seven minutes, with Yamal and Lewandowski forcing Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into smart saves.
Barca’s pressure told in the 25th minute, although the goal was a touch fortuitous.
Fermin Lopez’s free-kick – awarded when Karim Adeyemi pulled the hair of Jules Kounde – found Inigo Martinez at the far post, who headed the ball across the six-yard box.
Pau Cubarsi poked the ball towards the far corner past the dive of Kobel, with Champions League top scorer Raphinha just about staying onside for a sliding finish on the line.
Dortmund grew into the game as the half progressed, with Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy going close as the break approached.
Lewandowski, though, doubled Barca’s lead three minutes after the restart from a yard out, converting Raphinha’s header across the face of goal following Yamal’s cross to the far post.
Dortmund began to struggle as mistakes on the ball gifted the La Liga leaders several more chances. Fermin hit the outside of the post with a fizzing low strike from 16 yards out, before blazing over a rebound a minute later.
Lewandowski put the first leg beyond doubt with his 99th goal for the club, finishing off a lightning counter-attack in the 66th minute with a ruthless first-time strike under Kobel.
Raphinha matched Messi’s record by sliding the ball across for Yamal to finish in the 77th minute following another ruthless break.
Barcelona will travel to Germany for the second leg on Tuesday, 15 April.
