Barcelona thumped visitors Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday after Robert Lewandowski scored twice against his old club to earn the Catalans a sizeable lead ahead of next week's return visit to Germany.
Undefeated since late December, treble-chasing Barca predictably dominated the opening stages and grabbed the lead with Raphinha's strike in the 25th minute. A string of saves from Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel frustrated Barca for the remainder of the first half.
Barcelona emerged more determined after the break and it took them only three minutes to score the second goal, with Raphinha assisting Lewandowski, who nodded home from close range.
The Polish striker extended their lead in the 66th minute from just inside the box while Lamine Yamal wrapped up another demolition job by Barcelona in the 77th.
"I think we played very well but we are not thinking about the semi-finals yet, we must keep the same focus and mentality that have brought us here so far," Lewandowski told Movistar Plus.
"It doesn't matter where we play and what game it is, we always want to play our football with the same commitment.
"Our mindset is always going for the win and that is how we will play at Dortmund. We have to go there and play as well as we did today or even better."
Barcelona have enjoyed a superb 23-game unbeaten run across all competitions. They are the only team in Europe's top five leagues yet to lose in 2025 and are still in the running to win three titles.
They lead LaLiga, four points ahead of Real Madrid whom they face in the Copa del Rey final on April 26.
Hansi Flick's Barca have now scored 36 goals in 11 games in the Champions League, and 145 in 48 competitive matches, thanks to their inspired attacking trident formed by Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha.
On Wednesday, Kobel denied Lewandowski and Yamal from close range but there was little he could do when Raphinha fired over the goal-line in the 26th minute.
After the break, Yamal made an impressive run from the right wing before lifting a cross towards the back post for Raphinha to head back across goal, leaving an unmarked Lewandowski to nod over the line from centimetres out.
Lewandowski extended their lead with a bullet strike while Yamal rounded off the beating with a tidy finish from a quick counter.
"It's a very tough defeat," Dortmund coach Niko Kovac told Movistar Plus.
"We expected more but we have to be fair, Barca are a great team. Today they took advantage of all the gifts we gave them, they are really effective in attack."
PSG tame Aston Villa
Paris Saint-Germain were made to sweat to secure a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, coming from behind after a shock opener from the visitors on Wednesday.
In Paris, Morgan Rogers stunned the home crowd by putting Unai Emery's side ahead in the first half but PSG swiftly turned the tide as teenager Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck back before Nuno Mendes got the third in added time to give the newly crowned Ligue 1 champions a well-deserved victory.
PSG's dominance on the ball was evident as they dictated the tempo with a blend of composed possession, technical precision, and their trademark high pressing under Luis Enrique, the coach who groomed Doue into near-stardom.
Villa, whose seven-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end, will need to show more in the return leg next Tuesday.
"By order of the Paris SG fans," a banner draped over the Auteuil Kop read -- a cheeky nod to the Peaky Blinders television series, which takes place in Birmingham.
Emiliano Martinez, ever the villain in France who was greeted by a barrage of boos, whistles and expletives, made his presence felt, blocking Vitinha’s low shot and denying Ousmane Dembele, whose venomous half-volley seemed destined to rattle the net.
Two saves in quick succession, and the Villa keeper was proving his worth early on.
High up the pitch, PSG were suffocating Villa, swarming with intent. It was Villa, however, who converted first on their first clear chance.
A mistake from Mendes in midfield allowed John McGinn to pounce, nicking the ball and slipping it to Youri Tielemans. The Belgian looked up, saw the gap, and whipped a cross into the path of Rogers, who finished it off with an ice-cool tap-in.
Four minutes later, PSG levelled when Doue curled one in from the edge of the box, sending the ball sailing over the grounded Martinez and under the bar.
It was yet another superb display by the 19-year-old Doue, who scored the winning penalty in the shootout against Liverpool in the last 16.
The hosts continued to press following the break and after a superb combination in the midfield, Kvaratskhelia fired a shot that went in off the inside of the near post to make it 2-1.
Achraf Hakimi came close to adding another goal at the end of a sharp counter-attack, only for Martinez to fully stretch to tip away the ball.
PSG were denied a penalty claim and Hakimi had a goal disallowed for offside but Mendes netted two minutes into added time when he cut inside Ezri Konsa and slotted past Martinez, who left the pitch with his head down.
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