Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund: Raphinha matches Lionel Messi as Barca run riot in Champions League | OneFootball

Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal also star as quadruple-chasers deliver emphatic quarter-final statement

Barcelona delivered a devastating attacking display to thrash Borussia Dortmund 4-0 and put one foot firmly in this season’s Champions League semi-finals.

The Brazilian now has 28 goals and 22 assists in total across all competitions during a remarkable year that may yet end with him as the frontrunner to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.

Per Opta Sports, he is also the first player in Champions League history to register more than 10 goals and five assists in a single campaign. He currently stands at 12 and seven respectively.

The exceptional Lamine Yamal was also on target as Barcelona’s irresistible attacking trio simply decimated sorry Dortmund, who appear to face an almost impossible task in attempting to overturn such a daunting deficit in next Tuesday’s second-leg tie at Signal Iduna Park.

Lewandowski’s goals either side of half-time mean he has now scored 29 in 28 appearances against the club he previously helped fire to two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final, the most against any opposition in his illustrious career, taking him to 40 across all competitions this season - with 11 of those coming in Europe.

It could have been even worse for last season’s beaten finalists Dortmund, who may now have to face up to the very realistic possibility of no Champions League football at all next season with their chances of a top-four finish in the Bundesliga under Niko Kovac looking slim despite back-to-back wins with only six matches left to play this season.

The closest they came to a consolation was when substitute Maximilian Beier slammed home late on, but his effort was ruled out for offside against Julien Duranville after Ronald Araujo had just made two excellent blocks in quick succession to deny both Giovanni Reyna and Julian Brandt.

Top scorer Serhou Guirassy had the best of their chances in the first half, firing into the side netting and failing to finish from close range as well as not connecting with some wicked low deliveries into the six-yard box, but could not turn the tide after Raphinha had stolen in on the line to poke home the opener after a dominant first 25 minutes from Barca.

In the process he denied Pau Cubarsi a first-ever Champions League goal after the teenage defender had look to flick home an Inigo Martinez knockdown from a free-kick given after Karim Adeyemi had inexplicably pulled the hair of Jules Kounde.

That goal was the difference at the break despite an entertaining first half bringing plenty of opportunities at both ends, but Lewandowski came back to haunt his former employers just after half-time, scoring against them in the Champions League for the first time when Yamal’s lovely clipped cross was headed back across goal by Raphinha and the evergreen Polish striker was then on hand to jump and head into the roof of the net from point-blank range.

He had another less than 20 minutes later, finishing off another blistering counter-attack as he fired in off the hand of a despairing Gregor Kobel after being teed up perfectly by the impressive Fermin Lopez, given the nod over Gavi in midfield in a big selection call from Barcelona coach Hansi Flick that paid off handsomely.

The rout was complete 13 minutes from time when sloppy Dortmund were caught on the break again and Raphinha set up Yamal for a low toe-poked finish into the far bottom corner.

The 17-year-old continues to smash records, becoming the first player to score multiple Champions League knockout goals before turning 18 having also set a new mark for the most knockout appearances before turning 18.

Former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Flick retained his 100 per cent record against Dortmund as a manager with a seventh straight win, with Barcelona remaining in contention for a possible trophy quadruple in his first season in charge having already lifted the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia back in January and now boasting a four-point title lead over Los Blancos in LaLiga with eight games remaining and a Copa del Rey final coming up against their fiercest rivals later this month.

It is the second time Barcelona have beaten Dortmund this season, having also triumphed 3-2 in Germany back in December following a thrilling second half in a league phase tie. BVB have still yet to win a single game against Barca in Europe.