RAPINHA scored a stunning hat-trick as Barcelona hammered Bayern Munich 4-1 on Wednesday in a blockbuster Champions League group clash.
The Catalans had lost their last six games against Bayern but outplayed the six-time winners at the Olympic stadium with Robert Lewandowski also on the scoresheet, while England star Harry Kane struck for the visitors.
Hansi Flick, who was in charge of the Bundesliga side in a humiliating 8-2 romp over Barca in 2020, led the Catalans to an emphatic triumph which indicated they may be capable of winning the trophy for the first time since 2015 after a decade of disappointment.
Defeat leaves Bayern with only one victory from their opening three group games and in the bottom half of the table, while Barcelona have two wins and are in the top third.
“In my opinion this game could have been a (Champions League) final, to be able to win it in this way, so well, in front of our fans, is quite special and I leave here happy,” Raphinha told Movistar.
“Getting the second victory in the Champions League was important and now we have to think about the game on Saturday.”
Barcelona visit European and Spanish champions Real Madrid in a La Liga Clasico this weekend and warmed up for it in spectacular style.
Having not reached the Champions League semi-final since 2019, belief is starting to grow in Catalonia that Flick could help restore their position among Europe’s elite.
Another test of that theory soon follows with the impending visit to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior netted a treble for Madrid on Tuesday against Dortmund but his compatriot Raphinha matched him in style against Bayern as Barca sent a message of their own.
