Barcelona edged Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on Wednesday, with substitute Ferran Torres delivering two decisive goals in the final 15 minutes.
The win secured the Catalan side a place in the knockout phase, leaving Dortmund to rue missed opportunities and defensive lapses.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, calmly slotting home after a pinpoint through ball from Dani Olmo.
However, Dortmund quickly leveled seven minutes later when Serhou Guirassy converted a penalty, awarded after Pau Cubarsi’s clumsy shove in the box.
Torres, introduced for the ineffective Robert Lewandowski, made an immediate impact.
In the 75th minute, he pounced on a rebound from Fermin Lopez’s volley, nudging Barcelona ahead once more.
Yet Dortmund’s Guirassy struck back just three minutes later, finishing into an empty net after Pascal Gross set him up with a selfless pass.
The decisive blow came in the 85th minute. Lamine Yamal orchestrated a blistering counterattack, threading a pass to Torres, who overcame a poor first touch to fire a low shot past Gregor Kobel.
Dortmund’s hopes for a late equalizer were dashed, with Nico Schlotterbeck’s injury in the dying seconds compounding their woes.
‘Pushed to the limit’
Barcelona’s Dani Olmo praised Dortmund’s relentless effort, telling DAZN, “They’re a team that always pushes you to the limit. We played a great game and had our chances. We can leave satisfied.”
The victory propelled Barcelona into second place in their group, three points behind leaders Liverpool, and firmly on track for direct qualification to the last 16.
Dortmund, meanwhile, suffered their first home loss this season, dropping to ninth in the standings.
Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel lamented the team’s errors, saying, “We played a really good game, but we were too naive and simply gave away the goals we conceded.”
Tactical gambles
Dealing with injuries, Dortmund coach Nuri Şahın opted for youth and pace, giving 18-year-old Julien Duranville his starting debut and fielding Gio Reyna for the first time this season.
The gamble nearly paid off as Duranville’s blistering runs created early chances, including a setup for Marcel Sabitzer, who blazed over the bar.
Raphinha caused headaches for Dortmund’s defense from the outset, narrowly missing an early tap-in before misfiring on an open goal.
However, his composure shone through in the second half as he capitalized on Olmo’s perfectly weighted pass.
After Guirassy’s penalty equalizer, Dortmund grew confident but failed to capitalize on crucial moments.
Kobel made crucial saves against Olmo and Lopez, only for Torres to slot home the rebound. Despite Gross’s assist for Guirassy’s second goal, Dortmund’s defense faltered again in the face of Barcelona’s swift counterattacks.
Adding to Dortmund’s frustration, center-back Nico Schlotterbeck was stretchered off with an ankle injury in the final moments. “I hope it’s not serious, but he was in pain,” captain Emre Can said post-match.
City crisis
Manchester City’s struggles deepened with a 2-0 loss at Juventus, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side perilously close to elimination.
Dusan Vlahovic’s header and Weston McKennie’s stunning volley sealed the win for the Italians.
Stuttgart delivered a 5-1 thrashing of Young Boys, scoring three goals in 13 blistering minutes.
Enzo Millot, Chris Führich, and Josha Vagnoman were among the scorers, while Fabian Rieder’s three assists underscored a dominant display.
Young Boys’ Lukasz Lakomy dedicated his early goal to teammate Meschack Elia, whose son tragically passed away before the match.
In other action, Bukayo Saka’s brace powered Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Monaco, AC Milan edged Red Star Belgrade 2-1, and Feyenoord triumphed 4-2 against Sparta Prague.
Atletico Madrid defeated Slovan Bratislava 3-1, while Lille secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sturm Graz.