Barcelona advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after a 7-2 thrashing of Newcastle United at Camp Nou, sealing an 8-3 aggregate victory in a thrilling round-of-16 tie.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the sixth minute after Fermin Lopez led a swift counter attack, but Anthony Elanga levelled nine minutes later from Lewis Hall’s cross.
Midfielder Marc Bernal then restored Barcelona’s lead from a Raphinha free kick, before Elanga struck again in the 28th minute after Lamine Yamal failed to clear. 2-2!!
Yamal made amends by converting a spot kick deep into first-half added time after VAR spotted Kieran Trippier’s foul on Raphinha inside the box.
Barcelona then came storming back from the break to score four goals in the second half.
Fermin added a fourth in the 52nd minute and Robert Lewandowski scored twice in quick succession, first with a header from a corner and then from Yamal’s through ball.
Raphinha then sealed the rout in the 73rd minute after a Jacob Ramsey mistake.
Barcelona are now set to meet Atletico Madrid in the next round of the UEFA Champions League.
“We are delighted, it was a great performance,” Raphinha said in an interview after the match. “Newcastle are a very physical side; if they’re on form, they make life difficult for you.”
“We were calm throughout the match and knew we had to control the game. We lost possession a lot in the first half but the third and fourth goals came quickly and helped us settle down.”
It was a night that showcased both the irresistible and the unreliable sides of Hansi Flick’s team — devastating in attack, yet persistently vulnerable at the back.
Barcelona have now scored 30 goals in this season’s competition, an average of three per game, but they are still without a clean sheet, having conceded 17 in 10 matches.
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League results
Barcelona 7-2 Newcastle
Bayern Munich 4-1 Atalanta
Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray
Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Atletico Madrid.
