Without a response to the intense noise of Signal Iduna Park, but above all without a response to the poor game against Borussia, Barcelona was silent in the Dortmund costumes. It seemed that they did not even care that they had reached the semifinals of the Champions League after six years, something that was not achieved since Messi’s team succumbed in Anfield in 2019, after wasting the 3-0 in favor achieved at Camp Nou. Precisely the ghost of suffering from a comeback in Dortmund. “I feel disappointed,” Koundé lamented after the defeat (3-1). But Hansi Flick was not willing to accept the long faces of his players: “Boys, we have reached Semis. It is time to celebrate.” More information that seemed to be a mere procedure for Barça, after 4-0 in the first leg, became an exercise of anguish, symbolized in the Gavi game. “Many people believe that I don’t know how to play football, they have no fucking idea,” the Andalusian had presumed before the tie against Dortmund. Substitute in Barcelona, headline in Dortmund, Gavi’s vertigo showed Flick that he needed Pedri’s pause. “I needed to rest. It has been, but we have seen the quality that Pedri has and how important it is, both with the ball and without the ball,” said Flick. The conversations were repeated among Barcelona’s players. Araujo spoke with Cubarsí, of Jong with Gavi and Lewandowski with Lamine Yamal; While Raphinha asked calm. All under the explosive barulo of Signal Iduna Park, the stadium with the greatest capacity in Germany (81,365 people), one of the most hot in Europe, this Tuesday as always fervent to encourage Niko Kovac’s boys, but as never angry to whistle Robert Lewandowski. “A very good rival, the atmosphere was tremendous. It has not been our best day, this type of matches such as the Dortmund is not easy, but we have classified, which was the goal,” said Flick. The problem, for the Barça, was that the vibration was not alone in the stand. Kovac recovered Gross for the core, key for Borussia to exercise his aggressive football; While Hansi Flick opted to give Pedri rest, fundamental for Barcelona to rest with the ball in an electric party. Pedri’s place was occupied by Gavi, although the German understands that the best position to exploit Gavi’s talent – that he presumes in the press room – is like “6 or 8 ″. He did not help Barcelona that the inspiration of Lamine Yamal walked on vacation, same frequency for Raphinha and Lewandowski.“ We have lac Win duels, close pass lines, a little of everything … We knew it was going to be difficult, because they play at home, but we have not lived up, although in the second part we have had some more control, ”Koundé the presence of Pedri insisted, which replaced Gavi in the 60s, gave more pause to Barcelona, but did not erase the suffering of the face, much less when Guirassy sealed his triplet. We saw many times how this competition is. It is very difficult and that’s why we were not in the semifinals. At another time, this game escaped us, today we could endure, ”Araujo concluded. Barça’s anguish had no prize, but the tie did: return to the semifinals of the Champions League. And the locker room broke the silence in Dortmund. League (T) FC Barcelona (T) Borussia Dortmund (T) Champions League
