Raphinha equals Messi record as Barcelona thrash Dortmund

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.

Much-feared forward line fire Barca to commanding lead

In some ways the scoreline does not tell the full story of a quite remarkable game.

Barcelona could and should have been out of sight in the first half, such was the ease in which they cut through Dortmund's backline.

Raphinha and Yamal caused the German side endless problems on the flanks, although the latter wasn't quite at his lethal best.

The 17-year-old - who became the youngest ever player to make 20 starts in the Champions League - forced Kobel into a comfortable save, before lashing wide from a tight angle when he could have set up Lewandowski for a tap-in moments later.

Hansi Flick's side produced 10 shots on target on the night and dominated possession, but despite repeatedly playing themselves into trouble, Dortmund should have scored themselves.

Guirassy - who has scored 10 goals in the Champions League this season - was caught out by Barcelona's high defensive line on several occasions, and when he did stay onside, the frontman was thwarted by a string of blocks.

Barcelona showed little sign of switching off and defended heroically to maintain their four-goal buffer, with substitute Ronald Araujo producing a fine double block in the final minutes.

Dortmund thought they had a goal back when Maximilian Beier slotted home Giovanni Reyna's 89th-minute cut-back, but once again the offside flag went up.

The visitors never gave up, but in the end it was a night for Raphinha and Barcelona's much-feared forward line.