Barcelona 4 Bayern Munich 1: Raphinha's hat-trick gives Hansi Flick a triumphant evening against his former club

It was Robert Lewandowski against Harry Kane. It was Hansi Flick who took on his old team. It was Barcelona versus Bayern Munich, two of the continent's most decorated clubs, going head-to-head in the Champions League in a thrilling, frantic clash.

Barcelona were ahead in the first minute, Raphinha taking advantage of Bayern's disorganized defensive line to go around Manuel Neuer and score. Then it was the turn of the well-known strikers to make a name for themselves. Harry Kane headed past Inaki Pena but was automatically ruled offside. Undeterred, Kane then scored an excellent and legitimate equaliser, only to see Lewandowski put the home side back in front after 36 minutes, followed by a wonderful third goal from Raphinha just before half-time.

But were the two teams able to keep the conversation going after the break? Yes, they could. Bayern started the half positively, but when Raphinha chested a diagonal pass from Lamine Yamal after 56 minutes, a wonderful – and game-winning – hat-trick was inevitable.

Dermot Corrigan, Michael Cox and Mark Carey analyze a sensational game.

A joyful night for Hansi Flick and Barcelona

Things went really well for Barca in the first two months under Hansi Flick – the team played well, won games and scored a lot of goals in La Liga. La Masia's young talents were integrated, formerly jaded established stars were revitalized and smiles were once again evident on the faces of the Blaugrana.

Still, many in Barcelona's “Entorno” family of former players, coaches and pundits kept saying things like “It's still early, let's see how they cope when a real test comes.”

And there is no greater challenge for Barcelona coaches than Bayern in the Champions League. Barca have only beaten Bayern twice in 15 attempts. The 8-2 quarter-final defeat in the Covid-affected 2020 tournament was the most traumatic moment in the club's history. Since then they have met four times, Bayern winning all four and Barca not even scoring a single goal.

So today's result and performance was a tremendous achievement from Flick. The team was full of energy, belief and determination. The tactics from the bench were risky, but worked very well. Barca didn't just beat Bayern, they overwhelmed them, unlike many of their recent experiences.

(Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Flick's predecessors Xavi, Ronald Koeman and Quique Setien all suffered painful setbacks when they faced Bayern for the first time in Europe. The only Barca coaches to ever beat Bayern in this competition are Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, both in their first season.

Both debut seasons ended with a treble in Barcelona, ​​​​the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey. It is still too early to predict whether Flick could achieve such a feat with the current team. But on Wednesday evening in Montjuic it was believed that Barca could now really be back.

Dermot Corrigan

Raphinha's sensational form is as valuable as it is surprising

Even Raphinha's biggest admirers during his successful two seasons at Leeds United certainly didn't expect this. After a few mediocre years since joining Barcelona in 2022, the Brazilian suddenly appears to be Barcelona's defining player and also wears the captain's armband.

2 – Raphinha becomes the first player since Neymar in May 2015 to score two goals in the first half of a UEFA Champions League game against Bayern Munich, also for Barcelona. Rowdy. pic.twitter.com/DQEH9qrIYN

– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 23, 2024

Raphinha scored two well-taken goals here to end the first half, rushing behind and rounding Manuel Neuer in the first minute, then cutting inside and firing the ball into the goal just before half-time. The strange thing is that the former is more typical of his play this season. As he returns to winger tonight, he thrives in the number 10 role, outpacing Robert Lewandowski and running past the opposition defense.

His glorious hat-trick goal was almost a combination of both: he started on the outside edge, shot backwards and confidently finished into the far corner. Three shots and three goals.

Raphinha makes it 3-1 shortly before half-time (Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Lewandowski is still the biggest goal threat and Lamine Yamal is the showstopper, showing a series of flips and nutmegs here. But while Lewandowski's ability to find the net has never been in question and Yamal's talent is obvious, Raphinha's sensational form is more surprising overall – and a huge boost for a Barcelona side previously lacking inspiration.

Michael Cox

Are Bayern in trouble?

FC Bayern Munich suffered two consecutive defeats in the Champions League and lost twice in the opening stages of the competition for the first time since 2016/17.

Normally, two consecutive defeats in the group stage could be fatal for a team aiming to advance to the knockout stages. Luckily for Vincent Kompany, the new eight-game format means Bayern Munich still has plenty of time to regain some momentum in Europe.

Despite an unbeaten start in the Bundesliga and a flurry of goals on home soil, the jury is still out on how well Bayern have recovered from their disappointing season under Thomas Tuchel last year. No one can doubt their attacking prowess, but their vulnerability on counterattacks – where the centre-backs have left many unconvinced of their pace of recovery – remains a question mark.

It was Aston Villa's direct play that eliminated Bayern through Jhon Duran's goal at Villa Park, and three of Barcelona's four goals punished them for the disorganization in Bayern's defensive line that left their defenders desperate for their own goal ran to get back into position.

Getting into the knockout phase is probably still a formality, but Kompany could have done without the additional pressure at the start of the season.

(David Ramos/Getty Images)

Mark Carey

An ode to a wonderful first half

Raphinha's opener after just 57 seconds was a sensational start to the game and the pace barely let up in the first 45 minutes.

The formation of both teams with frenetic high-pressing, risky passes from the back and even more difficult defensive lines (especially at Barca) contributed to regular moments of exciting action.

For a while it seemed as if Bayern had the situation under control as they dominated possession for a while while behind. Harry Kane's header was disallowed for a minor (but correct) offside position, but nothing stood in the way of the Englishman's spectacular finish from Serge Gnabry's cross in the 18th minute.

(Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

Such a high tempo forced players to demonstrate their technical ability just to keep the ball in tight situations. Barca midfielder Pedri and his teenage teammate Lamine Yamal both showed great ability to get out of tricky situations just before half-time as the Bayern pressers closed in on them.

Fermin Lopez's “intelligent” push on Bayern defender Kim Min-jae before setting up Robert Lewandowski to score against his old team in the 36th minute only made the pulses on both sides rise even higher.

Over the years, various Barca teams have often faded or even vanished into thin air when faced with extremely intense and physical Bayern teams. But Hansi Flick seems to be building something different and special in this team. Raphinha is certainly thriving under the new regime and he used the confidence and adrenaline coursing through his body to score a superb goal just before half-time to make it 3-1.

It was an incredibly joyful conversation – for everyone who wasn't with Bayern – even if it seemed unlikely that either team would keep the pace for the entire 90 minutes.

Dermot Corrigan

How Bayern zigzagged their way through Barcelona's press

A high defensive line with aggressive pressing was a theme for Barcelona under Hansi Flick.

It's a tactical approach that has its advantages. It aims to reduce space and allow attacking players to win the ball in advanced areas and maximize their impact closer to the goal.

What is crucial is that both must go hand in hand. A high defensive line without aggressive pressing can be a risky approach when opposing runners are in the background. Against a team with the quality of FC Bayern Munich you are asking for trouble.

The concentration of Barcelona's narrow defensive line had to be perfect when Bayern had the ball. The triggers to step forward and maintain a high defensive line were more than brave at times, often pushing towards the halfway line as Vincent Kompany's men tried to get through the thirds.

(JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

For Bayern, it would have played into Barcelona's hands to play the ball directly over the ceiling. Since Inaki Pena took an aggressive starting position, a direct ball would have easily gone through to the Barcelona goalkeeper.

To counteract this, Bayern zigzagged their way forward with swapped passes to shift Barcelona's defensive line. By half-time alone, Bayern's 12 transition attempts were more than in any other game in all competitions this season, and it was often wingers Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry who exchanged passes to either wing as they advanced.

Bayern's equalizer expressed this perfectly. Olise switched to Gnabry in space, whose cross found the onrushing Harry Kane.

Kane's goal for British readers:

Harry Kane scores the equalizer for Bayern Munich with his 14th goal of the season 🔥

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/nyPLeRSpsv

– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 23, 2024

Kane's goal for US readers:

Harry Kane's 14th goal of the season couldn't have come at a better time for Bayern Munich! 👏 pic.twitter.com/RkdfCTnDLA

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 23, 2024

In fact, Bayern could and should have punished Barcelona more with this tactic. It was a clear approach from the first minutes.

Mark Carey

What's next for Barcelona?

Saturday, October 26th: Real Madrid (A), La Liga, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

What's next for Bayern?

Saturday, October 26th: Bochum (A), Bundesliga, 2:30 p.m. UK, 9:30 p.m. ET

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(Header photo: Getty Images)