Raphinha equalled Lionel Messi’s club record for goal involvements in a single Champions League campaign as Barcelona thrashed Borussia Dortmund to take command of their quarter-final tie.
The Brazilian forward scored and assisted twice to reach 19 goal involvements in the competition this term, the same as Messi achieved in the 2011-12 campaign.
Raphinha’s 12th European goal of the season gave Barcelona a deserved first-half lead, before Robert Lewandowski struck twice after the break and Lamine Yamal added a fourth to put the Spanish side on course for the semi-finals.
The hosts ran riot in the early stages and could have scored three times inside the opening seven minutes, with Yamal and Lewandowski forcing Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into smart saves.
Barca’s pressure told in the 25th minute, although the goal was a touch fortuitous.
Fermin Lopez’s free-kick – awarded when Karim Adeyemi pulled the hair of Jules Kounde – found Inigo Martinez at the far post, who headed the ball across the six-yard box.
Pau Cubarsi poked the ball towards the far corner past the dive of Kobel, with Champions League top scorer Raphinha just about staying onside for a sliding finish on the line.
Dortmund grew into the game as the half progressed, with Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy going close as the break approached.
Lewandowski, though, doubled Barca’s lead three minutes after the restart from a yard out, converting Raphinha’s header across the face of goal following Yamal’s cross to the far post.
Dortmund began to struggle as mistakes on the ball gifted the La Liga leaders several more chances.
Fermin hit the outside of the post with a fizzing low strike from 16 yards out, before blazing over a rebound a minute later.
Lewandowski put the first leg beyond doubt with his 99th goal for the club, finishing off a lightning counter-attack in the 66th minute with a ruthless first-time strike under Kobel.
Raphinha matched Messi’s record by sliding the ball across for Yamal to finish in the 77th minute following another ruthless break.
Barcelona will travel to Germany for the second leg on Tuesday, 15 April.
The Brazilian forward came into the campaign after two underwhelming years, following a £55m move from Leeds in 2022.
Since then the 28-year-old has led Barcelona on a Treble pursuit, with the Blaugrana four points clear at the top of La Liga and through to the final of the Copa del Rey.
On Wednesday they placed one foot firmly in the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund in the first-leg of their last-eight tie.
“That’s 23 games unbeaten now for Barcelona. They still keep the ball, they dominate possession, and they’re ruthless when you give them space,” Karen Carney said on TNT Sports.
“Because of the frontline, they just keep outscoring you. You’d be terrified to face them.”
Raphinha is enjoying the best season of his career by far, with 28 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.
With his efforts against Dortmund, he also equalled Lionel Messi’s club record for goal involvements in a single Champions League campaign.
Raphinha’s 25th-minute opener and subsequent assists for Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal took him to 19 goal involvements in 11 games this campaign, the same number Messi achieved in 11 outings in 2011-12.
