Raphinha hit a sensational hat-trick as Barcelona got revenge on Bayern Munich with a stunning 4-1 Champions League victory at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Having lost their last six encounters with the German giants, conceding 22 goals in the process, Barca’s own rout got underway inside 60 seconds, as they exploited Bayern’s wayward defensive line on the first of several occasions. Raphinha, who was captaining his side, went past Manuel Neuer before slotting home.
Bayern responded strongly, dominating the ball and threatening Barca’s own incredibly high line. Harry Kane had a header ruled out for a narrow offside before equalising in the 18th minute with a lovely, volleyed finish from Serge Gnabry’s cross.
It was his 14th goal of yet another prolific season, but one that could once again see his teammates not match his levels of excellence.
The man he was signed to replace in Bavaria, Robert Lewandowski, was relatively quiet for much of the first half, but got his inevitable goal to restore Barca’s lead in the 36th minute and, again, it was due to some very poor Bayern defending.
Kim min-Jae might have had a claim for a foul, but he should not have been brushed off the ball by Fermin Lopez. The midfielder got the ball across Manuel Neuer for Lewandowski to tap into an empty net, continuing his fantastic scoring form this season.
Raphinha secured his hat-trick either side of half-time with two goals right out of the top drawer. First, he put breathing room between the sides with a delightfully curled finish after an excellent Marc Casado cross field ball.
11 minutes after the break, Barca caught Bayern on the break again. Lamime Yamal was the provider, but his Brazilian teammate still had so much to do, running on with the ball before expertly putting it past the reach of Manuel Neuer.
Raphinha received a standing ovation as he was subbed off late in the game for Dani Olmo, whose injury return coupled with that of Frenkie de Jong made it a perfect night for Hansi Flick against his former side. Next up is the little matter of a trip to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid.
Big questions will be asked of Vincent Kompany and Bayern after a second consecutive loss in Europe, but tonight was all about Barca and their brilliant Brazilian.
