Barcelona reaches first Champions League semifinal in six years, PSG advances in pursuit of first title

CNN

16-04-2025

Barcelona reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in six years, despite being outplayed and comfortably beaten 3-1 by Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
A commanding 4-0 victory at home had put Barça in the driving seat against Dortmund in their quarterfinal tie last week, but Serhou Guirassy's hat-trick in the second leg piled pressure onto the Spanish giant.
The Guinean international cut into the four-goal deficit from the penalty spot early on before heading in a second from close range at the start of the second half.
Ramy Bensebaini's own goal offered the Blaugrana some breathing space, making it 5-2 on aggregate, though Dortmund continued to attack with Guirassy completing his treble with 15 minutes remaining at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund, the runner-up in last year's Champions League, looked to have scored again minutes later, but substitute Julian Brandt was judged to have been offside.
In the end, Barça held on for a 5-3 aggregate victory having faced 18 shots during the game, 11 of which were on target.
Hansi Flick's side is looking to win a first Champions League title in 10 years – back when Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar famously led the team's attack – and will now face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
'They have a great team and made life very difficult for us, but we're through to the next round and that's what counts,' said Flick. 'We didn't play at our best today but that was also down to Dortmund, who did really well.
'What the team has achieved in recent weeks is phenomenal. We're now one step further, but we're still a long way from the end.'
Defeat against Dortmund ended Barça's remarkable streak of 24 games without a loss, a run dating back to December 21. In that time, the club has progressed through two Champions League knockout rounds, lifted the Supercopa de España, reached the Copa del Rey final and moved four points clear at the top of La Liga.
In Tuesday's other quarterfinal, Paris Saint-Germain also had to survive a scare having gained a healthy advantage in the first leg of its tie against Aston Villa.
The French side, still searching for a first Champions League title in the club's history, won 3-1 at the Parc des Princes last week and took control of the contest through early goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
However, Aston Villa – once more supported from the stands by Prince William and son George – responded in impressive fashion as Youri Tielemens' deflected strike in the 34th minute reduced the deficit to two goals, offering a glimmer of hope.
Two goals in the space of two minutes – first a long-range shot from John McGinn, then a calm finish from Ezri Konsa after a brilliant run and pass from Marcus Rashford – suddenly put Villa on the edge of a miraculous comeback in the second half.
Appearing in the quarterfinals of the European Cup for the first time in more than 40 years, the Birmingham-based club started to push for an equalizer, hopeful of taking the tie to extra-time. Tielemens had a header superbly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, while the Italian goalkeeper also denied Marco Asensio with his feet.
But despite losing 3-2 on the night, PSG held on for a 5-4 aggregate victory at a raucous Villa Park, progressing to the semifinals for the fourth time in six seasons.
'It was a strange match because we dominated from the first minute and scored two goals, which was great,' said PSG manager Luis Enrique. 'After that, we committed some mistakes and paid for it.
'When you concede two goals in three minutes with that kind of atmosphere in a stadium, it's always difficult. But it's important for us because we can grow from that suffering.'
In Wednesday's other quarterfinals, Inter Milan hosts Bayern Munich after a 2-1 victory in Germany last week, while reigning champion Real Madrid is looking to overturn a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabéu. The winner of that tie will face PSG in the final four.