Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski hit a brace to help Barcelona rout Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg clash on Wednesday, while Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-1 in Paris.

Barcelona are a step away from reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches.

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The five-time winners took the lead against last year’s runners-up through red-hot winger Raphinha before Lewandowski reached 40 goals for the season with his double.

Teenager Lamine Yamal was an unstoppable force throughout and deftly prodded home Barcelona’s fourth as Dortmund collapsed.

Barcelona, who last lifted the trophy in 2015, are aiming to seal a final four clash against Inter Milan or Bayern Munich when they visit Germany next Tuesday.

UCL: Arsenal whip Real Madrid at Emirates as Inter beat Bayern

“I think we played very well, but we have one more game to go. We always want to play our football and we want to play it there and we will win,” Lewandowski said after the game.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also scored one of the great Champions League goals as PSG came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

Barcelona

Morgan Rogers had given Villa a 35th-minute lead at the Parc des Princes to silence the home fans, but PSG were quickly back level through a fine strike by Desire Doue.

Kvaratskhelia then took centre stage with a stunning effort on 49 minutes, before Nuno Mendes added a crucial third in stoppage time, giving PSG a significant two-goal cushion to take into the return in Birmingham next Tuesday.

Having eliminated Liverpool in the last 16, Luis Enrique’s team are now in a very strong position to reach the semi-finals for the second season running.

The Star

Segun Ojo
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