Barcelona advance past Borussia Dortmund in Champions League thriller

Having suffered a comprehensive 4-0 defeat in the first leg, Dortmund entered the return fixture with little to lose and adopted an aggressive approach from the outset. Guirassy, who had been wasteful in the initial encounter, missed further early opportunities but soon made amends from the penalty spot in the 11th minute. The spot-kick was awarded following a collision between Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Dortmund's Pascal Gross.

Guirassy doubled the hosts' advantage shortly after the break, heading home in the 49th minute to intensify the pressure on the visitors. However, Dortmund's momentum was checked when defender Ramy Bensebaini inadvertently put the ball into his own net, complicating their path to a historic comeback.

The striker responded again in the 76th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by Ronald Araujo to fire in a third goal and complete his hat-trick with a forceful close-range finish. In doing so, Guirassy became the Champions League's top scorer this season, with 13 goals to his name.

The strike reignited hopes of a sensational turnaround, one that could have rivaled Barcelona's own famous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. Yet despite Dortmund's spirited effort and the fervent support of the home crowd at Signal Iduna Park, Barcelona withstood the late surge and secured their place in the final four.

The defeat marked Barcelona's first across all competitions since December, but their dominant first-leg performance proved decisive. They will now await the outcome of the quarter-final tie between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to determine their semifinal opponent.

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