Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent
BARCELONA, Spain — There may be typically one thing iconic a couple of celebration spilling on to the working monitor behind the aim, as Raphinha‘s did on the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday after he sealed Barcelona’s emphatic 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over Bayern Munich together with his third aim of the evening.
As he ran in the direction of the followers, supporters tumbled right down to the entrance to get a greater glimpse and photographers surrounded him. Finally, he made his approach out of the gang and again to the pitch, fists clenched and the Hansi Flick period at Barça in full stream forward of Saturday’s journey to Actual Madrid.
Barça have been on the opposite finish of those nights so typically in Europe lately — particularly in opposition to Bayern. That they had misplaced their final six video games in opposition to the German giants, together with that well-known 8-2 defeat in 2020 when Flick was within the different dugout, and eight of their final 9, a run courting again to 2013. Lose to them once more and all the nice work Flick had performed since taking on in the summertime — 10 wins from 12 in all competitions — would have been questioned forward of this weekend’s Clásico (stream reside on ESPN+).
However Raphinha, carrying the captain’s armband on the evening, ensured there could be no repeat of Bayern ghosts of the previous.
“This was revenge for the supporters,” he stated after the sport. “For the gamers, we won’t concentrate on the previous, solely the following recreation, however I suffered these video games as a fan, too.”
It wasn’t at all times straight ahead, regardless of Raphinha rounding Manuel Neuer inside a minute to open the scoring. Bayern got here again. Harry Kane was denied by Barça keeper Iñaki Peña, had a aim dominated out for offside, after which lastly equalised. Between Raphinha’s and Kane’s targets, Barça had been too passive, and Bayern had management. The English striker’s leveller woke them up and so they started to press once more, all whereas retaining the excessive line that has characterised Barça below Flick to this point.
Robert Lewandowski restored the hosts’ lead after which Raphinha took centre stage. He introduced down a Marc Casadó go earlier than the break and completed expertly from the sting of the field. Then, within the 56th minute, he splendidly chested down a ball from Lamine Yamal and fired his shot throughout Neuer into the underside nook to crown his one centesimal look for the Catalan membership with a hat trick.
There have been different spectacular performances. Pedri and Casadó, each simply 21, have been good in midfield, Yamal and Pau Cubarsí proceed to bely their 17 years of age, and there was excellent news within the type of extra minutes from the bench for the returning Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Gavi forward of the Madrid recreation.
“Raphinha is an excellent instance of how the crew works,” Flick stated in a information convention. “He’s somebody who at all times offers all the things in coaching and in video games, too, he performs with numerous depth. He is essential for us, how he presses, and in the present day we noticed he scores targets as effectively.
“He is a participant who’s defensive and offensive, with depth, dynamism, approach … We have now a superb crew and these traits go well with us completely. But additionally I’ve to spotlight that the entire crew has nice high quality. Everybody did so effectively in possession of the ball within the second half, whether or not it was Lamine, Casadó or Cubarsí. At their age, it is a very good stage of efficiency.”
Raphinha turns into Barça’s first Brazilian to attain a Champions League hat trick since Neymar did it in 2013. Ronaldinho and Rivaldo additionally managed it, however Raphinha was by no means meant to be on that stage. The concept of him leaving was even floated in the summertime. He was livid that some Barça followers purchased shirts together with his No. 11 on the again however the title of Nico Williams — the Athletic Membership winger linked with Barça on the time. “It was disrespectful,” he stated on Tuesday earlier than the Bayern recreation. “It damage. Individuals have to respect the gamers which might be right here.”
There wasn’t a single Barça fan among the many 50,312 crowd whose respect he did not have by the point he buried his third aim. Up within the second tier behind one of many targets, even the three,000 Bayern followers will need to have begrudgingly revered what they’d simply witnessed from the previous Leeds United man.
This was not a freak efficiency, both. He already has one hat trick this season, in opposition to Actual Valladolid in LaLiga, and he now has 9 targets for the marketing campaign in all competitions — and one other six assists. To place that into perspective, he solely netted 10 targets in every of his first two seasons with Barça. It is solely Oct. 23.
As the ultimate whistle went, extra celebrations adopted. Barça’s gamers threw Raphinha within the air and he was awarded the MVP trophy. “It will likely be for my son, though he prefers the balls,” he stated when requested the place he’ll put the trophy. Fortunately, his hat trick additionally earned him the match ball. His son will likely be comfortable.
The victory afforded some optimism for Barça. After opening their Champions League marketing campaign with a defeat to AS Monaco, they’ve now received back-to-back video games within the competitors and are one level off the highest eight. Ideas, although, rapidly turned to Saturday’s journey to Madrid, the place a win would open up a six-point lead on the prime of the desk over their Clásico rivals.
“If you happen to’re not bouncing, you are a Madrid fan,” Barça’s followers chanted after the sport. Most of the gamers obliged them by bouncing.
It units up an enthralling recreation on the Santiago Bernabéu. Raphinha’s treble got here the evening after Vinícius Junior netted one in all his personal as Madrid got here from behind to beat German opposition in Borussia Dortmund 5-2. The 2 Brazilians will go head-to-head this weekend.
For Bayern, this was their second defeat in a row within the Champions League. They’ve three factors from three video games and Dinamo Zagreb — who they beat 9-2 of their opening fixture — are actually forward of them within the standings. Vincent Kompany’s crew stay unbeaten and prime of the Bundesliga, however they evidently have numerous work to do in Europe forward of upcoming video games in opposition to Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain.
