In a breathless game of repeated twists and turns, it was the man in form to make the difference as Ferran Torres came off the Barcelona bench to snatch a critical brace to down Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in Germany on Wednesday.
The two sides entered the match hoping to protect their top eight spot in the Champions League table, and they contested a thoroughly entertaining affair. It was scoreless at the halftime break only due to poor finishing, but that would not last long.
Raphinha opened the scoring nine minutes after the restart, but a Serhou Guirassy penalty would cancel that out on the hour mark after a Pau Cubarsi foul.
Then, with the Brazilian appearing to struggle with fitness, Torres entered off the bench to explosive effect. Having scored in each of his last two games entering the match, the former Man City forward struck almost immediately, collecting the parried save of a Fermin Lopez strike and burying it from close range.
Dortmund then equalized off another Guirassy strike, this time from open play, and it appeared the hosts had the upper hand, but that positive play would soon come undone.
Off a Dortmund corner given straight to the visitors, Torres finished off a vicious counter to send Barcelona home with all three points and a commanding position in the hunt for a Round of 16 bye. On the other end, it’s a bitterly disappointing defeat for Nuri Sahin, whose only other blemish in UCL play came in a heartbreaking collapse against another Spanish giant in Real Madrid.
The Sporting New followed the Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as it happened.
Minute-by-minute updates as it happened | Team news and lineups
Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Dortmund | 2 | Guirassy (60′ pen, 78′) |
| Barcelona | 3 | Raphinha (54′), F. Torres (75′, 85′) |
Location: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund, Germany)
Referee: Francois Letexier (FRA)
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard
Starting lineups:
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Gregor Kobel (GK) — 26. Julian Ryerson (Couto, 46′), 23. Emre Can, 4. Nico Schlotterbeck, 5. Ramy Bensebaini — 20. Marcel Sabitzer, 8. Felix Nmecha — 16. Julien Duranville (Malen, 72′), 7. Gio Reyna (Gross, 72′), 43. Jamie Gittens — 9. Serhou Guirassy.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1, right to left): 13. Inaki Pena (GK) — 23. Jules Kounde, 2. Pau Cubarsi, 5. Inigo Martinez, 3. Alex Balde — 17. Marc Casado, 8. Pedri — 19. Lamine Yamal, 20. Dani Olmo (de Jong, 71′), 11. Raphinha (F. Lopez, 71′) — 9. Robert Lewandowski (F. Torres, 71′).
Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona live updates, highlights
FULLTIME: Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona
What an absolute thriller! A 90 minutes full of excitement and changes in momentum come to an end as Barcelona snatch all three points thanks to the Ferran Torres brace off the bench, giving him four goals in his last three matches.
Dortmund will be bitterly disappointed to have lost this match, as they had survived the first two punches and looked to have Barcelona on their heels towards the end of the match. The winner came off a calamitous giveaway, and Nuri Sahin will know they threw points away today.
90+4 min: Chance, Dortmund! SO CLOSE AT THE DEATH! The hosts have a corner with time essentially up, and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel comes up for the last-gasp opportunity. It’s swung in to the head of who else but Serhou Guirassy, but the Dortmund striker heads it viciously over the crossbar.
90+2 min: Midway through four minutes of added time, Ferran Torres is booked.
VIDEO: Watch Torres goal in USA | Watch in Canada | Watch in UK | Watch in Australia
83rd min: Dortmund are in full control of this match at the moment, absolutely pouring on the pressure! The hosts can smell blood in the water after cutting down Barcelona’s lead a second time.
78th min: GOAL! DORTMUND! GUIRASSY EQUALIZES AGAIN! It’s a comical goal for Barcelona to concede!
Pascal Gross makes a perfectly-timed run from deep, and is clean through on goal. It forces Inaki Pena to come way off his line to challenge Gross outside the penalty area, and the former Brighton man simply squares it to Guirassy who passes it into the open net!
VIDEO: Watch Dortmund goal in Canada | Watch in UK
76th min: Chance, Dortmund! Oh dear, Serhou Guirassy has a wide-open header in the heart of the six-yard box, but misses over the crossbar! A massive opportunity to respond quickly to the go-ahead goal falls by the wayside!
75th min: GOAL! BARCELONA! FERRAN TORRES HAS AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT, HIS FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME WITH A GOAL!
Gregor Kobel makes an outlandish save to prevent Fermin Lopez from scoring a volley on the penalty spot, but his parry falls right at the feet of Torres on the doorstep, and he makes no mistake! Two substitutes combining for a lovely goal!
VIDEO: Watch Barcelona goal in Canada | Watch in UK
72nd min: Dortmund make their first changes of the match, with Gio Reyna and Julien Duranville both exit to a strong applause, replaced by Donyell Malen and Pascal Gross.
69th min: Chance, Barcelona! WHAT A SAVE BY GREGOR KOBEL! An exceptional diving stop to keep Dani Olmo from scoring a screamer at the top of the penalty area! It’s a delicious move by Barcelona as Jules Kounde bursts down the right past Yan Couto who’s aware of being on a booking. After multiple cutbacks it falls to Olmo who blasts a shot but can’t place it past the Dortmund goalkeeper, and Lewandowski can’t bag the follow up!
Shortly after, Barcelona make a triple change as Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha are off. Hansi Flick completely reworks his attacking unit bringing on Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez, and Frenkie de Jong.
64th min: We’ve just seen a closer look of the Raphinha opener, and goodness, there’s a lot to unpack here. First of all, he’s only onside by a fraction of an inch, as his armpit was right on the line. Second, there does appear to be a hint of a handball by Dani Olmo while collecting the ball after springing the turnover in midfield, which will leave questions to be asked of the incident.
61st min: Shortly after the restart, Ramy Bensebaini is booked for catching Jules Kounde, and he will miss the next Champions League match after triggering a yellow card suspension.
58th min: PENALTY, DORTMUND! Pau Cubarsi topples Serhou Guirassy making a run to meet a cross from the right, clipping the striker’s heel, and the referee points to the spot! The French official shows Cubarsi a yellow card as well, as Dortmund captain Emre Can protects the ball and the penalty spot during the ensuing VAR check.
The decision survives, and it’s Guirassy who steps up to take the penalty…GOAL! DORTMUND! He thumps a pinpoint low effort into the bottom-left corner of the goal, leaving Inaki Pena helpless despite guessing correctly!
VIDEO: Watch Dortmund goal in USA | Watch in Canada | Watch in UK
57th min: Halftime substitute Yan Couto is booked just 16 minutes into his appearance after pulling back Dani Olmo who had dispossessed him. Dortmund are starting to show some frustration, despite looking like they’re right there in this match and could be good for an equalizer soon.
53rd min: GOAL! BARCELONA! You knew this one wouldn’t stay scoreless forever, and Raphinha strikes on a vicious breakaway to open the game up! It looks similar to the Dortmund chance minutes ago, but the flag stays down for the visitors! It will be checked of course, but it stands for now…and it survives the closer inspection!
There’s a turnover in midfield that springs the attack, and the Brazilian does the business himself after latching onto a great vertical feed off the giveaway.
VIDEO: Watch Raphinha goal in USA | Watch in Canada | Watch in UK | Watch in Australia
52nd min: Felix Nmecha gets a yellow card for stepping on the foot of Pedri with a late challenge.
50th min: Chance, Dortmund! The hosts get three players past the high Barcelona line on a vicious counter-attack, and Serhou Guirassy blasts the ball into the net from a Jamie Gittens cross! However, the flag goes up for offside at the end of it, and you always knew that was coming with so many players breaking the Barcelona defensive line.
2nd half kickoff: They’re back under way with just one change between the two sides, as Yan Couto enters the match for Julian Ryerson at right back. It’s an odd change if it were tactical, as Ryerson was positive through the opening 45 minutes, so an injury may be the cause for the switch.
HALFTIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona
An exciting but ultimately unproductive first 45 minutes comes to an end, as both sides will be both disappointed and relieved to see the scoreline unblemished. The two clubs traded blows throughout the half, but neither side managed to generate the appropriate finishing touch required to find the breakthrough.
If it’s anything like the first half, the upcoming period promises to be exciting and potentially decisive if either team can conjure up something special.
45+1 min: In a perfect encapsulation of the opening half, Serhou Guirassy crops up in acres of space about 12 yards from goal just left of the penalty spot, but flubs his shot completely, scuffing it weakly well wide of the far post. A highly disappointing effort.
42nd min: Chance, Dortmund! The hosts are screaming for a penalty as Serhou Guirassy claims he was pushed in the back while efforting to meet a cross from deep on the left flank.
Once play comes to a stop, the French official angrily shows Marcel Sabitzer a yellow card for booting the ball away in frustration. VAR has a look but eventually determines not to intervene. It’s the right call, as there was maybe a little tug of the torso by Inigo Martinez, but there’s ultimately not much else in it.
40th min: Chance, Dortmund! AN OUTRAGEOUS SAVE BY INAKI PENA! He makes a brilliant reflex stop on Serhiy Guirassy’s header from point-blank range. In fairness, Guirassy would almost surely have been flagged for offside had the goal been scored, but Pena surely didn’t know that in the moment!
36th min: Chance, Barcelona! Jules Kounde tests Gregor Kobel into yet another diving save, this one much more awkward, but the Dortmund goalkeeper rises to the occasion and parries away the attempt!
34th min: Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson is down after taking a Robert Lewandowski palm to the face, with the Barca striker jockeying for position. The referee didn’t see it, and it’s not worth a look for a red card, so we play on. If the official catches it, it’s probably a yellow card.
30th min: Both sides continue to show good intent on moving the ball forward with quickness, although Dortmund look a little nervy while doing so. A few times they’re nearly caught in possession but manage to keep hold of things without coughing it up in a dangerous position.
Gio Reyna crops up at the top of the penalty area and crashes into a shot, but sails it well wide of the post.
21st min: Lamine Yamal forces Gregor Kobel to make a diving save to the goalkeeper’s left at the near post, but he has it covered with relative ease.
18th min: Chance, Dortmund! Marcel Sabitzer puts a wonderful chance over the crossbar! It’s absolutely brilliant down the right from young Julien Duranville, who dazzles on the dribble and cooks his way into the penalty area before firing a fizzed cutback to the penalty spot. There, Sabitzer was waiting, but the feed was just a bit hot and he’s unable to react in time, leaning back as he redirects the ball into the stands.
14th min: Chance, Barcelona! Now it’s Barcelona’s turn to create a counter-attack, and again it’s down to Alex Balde to deliver a ball in front of goal. He does so with aplomb, but Raphinha’s sliding finish flies well off the mark. In fairness to the Brazilian, it comes a bit further from goal than you’d usually expect to see such a chance taken, sliding to meet the ball about 12 yards from net.
9th min: This has been an energetic start by both teams. Dortmund are playing mostly on the counter, and Serhou Guirassy is flagged for offside near the halfway line after being played clean through on goal from deep.
4th min: Chance, Barcelona! The visitors are on the front foot early as they see a pair of quickfire chances turned away! Dani Olmo can’t quite reach a dangerous delivery by Alex Balte, and on the recycle Raphinha has a similar opportunity denied with a sliding finish of his own.
Kickoff: They’re under way in Germany! Two teams with high expectations clash, but at most there are just three points to go around. Will either side emerge with the maximum?
Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
15 mins to kickoff: With so many first-choice Dortmund attackers missing, a lot of the creativity and danger will have to come from England youth international Jamie Gittens, still just 20 years old but now a well-established regular for the German side.
This season, Gittens has been one of the most underrated young players in the Big 5 European leagues, with a remarkably similar statistical profile to Golden Boy winner Lamine Yamal, today’s opponent. While his passing is still a work in progress, the Dortmund youngster particularly excels in carrying the ball forward on the dribble, and he puts in a defensive shift as well. One to watch tonight, with the game nearly upon us!
🏴🟡 Jamie Gittens (Bourussia Dortmund, 20)
🇪🇸🔴 Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, 17)🇪🇺 #DortmundBarcelona
Compare players 👉 https://t.co/McR5zrPkTO pic.twitter.com/nc6BPhJdET— DataMB (@DataMB_) December 11, 2024
30 mins to kickoff: One interesting storyline to watch today and beyond for Barcelona is their goalkeeping situation. With Marc-Andre ter Stegen out for the year with an ACL tear, the club coaxed Wojciech Szczesny out of retirement…only to plant him firmly on the bench and let Inaki Pena retain his starting spot.
What exactly was the point of bringing Szczesny on as a backup for the full season? It’s not as if Pena has been sensational — his 0.2 xGOTA/goals conceded differential puts him squarely in the middle of the pack of La Liga goalkeepers this season.
45 mins to kickoff: For Dortmund, there are a number of surprises from Nuri Sahin. They are missing their incisive attacking trio of Julian Brandt, Donyell Malen, and Karim Adeyemi, all struggling with injuries — the former absent entirely while the latter pair are on the bench.
In their places come American international Gio Reyna, who starts for the first time all year after recovering from a groin issue, and 18-year-old Belgian winger Julien Duranville who also gets his first start of the season. They are two players with a lot to prove, and while there’s no doubt Dortmund are short-handed up front, it’s a show of faith given the presence of the talented Pascal Gross on the bench, who could have also been chosen to fill in.
Gio Reyna, who’s been injured for a majority of the season and has only played a total of 63 minutes across all competitions, picks up the start in Dortmund’s biggest match of the season.
Home to Barcelona 😮 pic.twitter.com/FyaBcIMnHR
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 11, 2024
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in, and there’s only one surprise for Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, who sticks with Marc Casado in midfield despite reports that he would switch back to Frenkie de Jong after the disappointing draw against Real Betis on the weekend. The 21-year-old Casado has won the German boss’s favor this season, filling in for an injured de Jong earlier in the year and playing well enough to keep his spot.
While there were reports that his performance in the weekend draw were enough to convince the manager of a switch, that has not come to pass.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: The man tasked with stopping Robert Lewandowski is Nico Schlotterbeck, who has won the most duels of anyone in the Champions League this year. He’s been particularly good in the air, winning aerial challenges a whopping 74% of the time in the Bundesliga this season, and has coupled that with an astonishing 89% ground duel win rate through the small sample size of five Champions League matches.
Nico Schlotterbeck has the best duel win % of any player to contest 20+ duels in the Champions League this season.
◎ 21 duels contested
◎ 17 duels won
◉ 80.95% duel win percentageTonight, he comes up against Robert Lewandowski, who has scored more goals against Dortmund… pic.twitter.com/EpoJr7oDhB
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 11, 2024
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Robert Lewandowski’s 2024/25 season has been a true revival for the Poland international. He looked absolutely cooked last year, seeing a big drop in both chance volume and chance conversion which indicated his time may be coming, but this year that’s all been erased.
Through 16 La Liga games this season in 1350 minutes, Lewandowski has 16 goals on 15.63 xG — compare that to his 19 goals on 17.91 xG last year, and he’s almost matched both marks through half the game time. He’s terrorized his old club Dortmund since leaving the Rhineland, with 27 goals in 26 games against BVB, but has never faced them in the Champions League before.
1 hour 45 mins to kick: One interesting tactical battle in today’s match to keep an eye on will be which side looks to maintain more of the possessional advantage. These two sides both like to control the pace of a game, as they sit fifth (Barcelona, 60.78%) and sixth (Dortmund, 60.24%) amongst Champions League teams through their first five games of the competition.
Possession, of course, doesn’t necessarily lead to success — Liverpool top the table with a perfect record through six games, but have only held 55.43% possession, good for 10th in the UCL field. Still, the idea is to throw the opponent off their game, so the team with less of the ball may feel uncomfortable in such a situation.
2 hours to kickoff: Borussia Dortmund have been fantastic in Europe this season, but the last time they faced a big Spanish club, Nuri Sahin made a critical error. Against Real Madrid, the Dortmund manager brought an additional defender on way too early, subbing Waldemar Anton in the 55th minute to replace winger Jamie Gittens with a 2-0 lead.
It was an extremely naive decision which allowed a mediocre Blancos side to get back in the match, and they scored all five goals after that moment in a 5-2 win. The first-year boss cannot make errors such as that if he wants to grab a big scalp here.
Nuri Sahin gets a lot of the blame for Borussia Dortmund’s collapse today.
He brought a defender on in the 55th minute! Against Real Madrid!
Have you been living under a rock?
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) October 22, 2024
Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona kickoff time
This Champions League league phase match kicks off from Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, December 11 at 9 p.m. local time in Dortmund, Germany. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Wed, Dec. 11 | 3 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Wed, Dec. 11 | 12 p.m. PT |
| UK | Wed, Dec. 11 | 8 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Thu, Dec. 12 | 5 a.m. AEST |
| India | Thu, Dec. 12 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona lineups, team news
Niklas Sule picked a knock to his right ankle last weekend and has joined Waldemar Anton (groin) on the sidelines, while Julian Brandt isn’t yet ready to return from his hamstring injury. Karim Adeyemi has recovered from his hamstring injury but is only fit for a place on the bench, with 17-year-old Julien Duranville in his place.
Gio Reyna surprisingly starts after returning from injury over the weekend, while regular Donyell Malen is left on the bench. Max Beier was forced off due to an injury sustained against Gladbach and misses out.
Borussia Dortmund starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Kobel (GK) — Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini — Sabitzer, Nmecha — Duranville, Reyna, Gittens — Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund subs (11): Meyer (GK), Kotka (GK), Kabar, Benkara, Couto, Azhil, Watjen, Gross, Campbell, Malen, Adeyemi.
Ronald Araujo, who has not yet appeared this season after a serious hamstring injury at the Copa America, could be finally ready for on-field action, making the bench for Barcelona. Gavi, meanwhile, is still working his way back to full fitness from an ACL tear.
Despite scoring in straight games, Ferran Torres is set to drop to the bench. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal will get the nod to start in front alongside Robert Lewandowski. Despite speculation that Frenkie de Jong could come into the midfield, Marc Casado retains the faith of Hansi Flick.
Barcelona starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Inaki Pena (GK) — Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde — Pedri, Casado — Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha — Lewandowski
Barcelona subs (12): Szczesny (GK), Astralaga (GK), Fort, Martin, Araujo, Garcia, de Jong, Gavi, F. Lopez, P. Torre, Victor, F. Torres.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:
United States:
TV channel: —
Live stream: Paramount+
This game is not available for live TV broadcast in the United States. Streaming options are available on Paramount+, which is currently offering a 7-day FREE trial.
Canada:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: DAZN
In Canada, DAZN provides exclusive live and on-demand access to all of the Champions League matches for the 2024/25 season.
DAZN originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in May 2018 while replacing TSN, extended the right to broadcast the tournament from 2024 to 2027 this year.
Australia:
Stan Sport originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in 2021 and extended the right to broadcast the tournament from 2024 to 2027 last year.
Australian viewers can catch all 189 Champions League matches on Stan Sport this season. Additionally, they can also catch all UEFA Europa League games and UEFA Conference League fixtures on the platform.
India:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: Sony LIV, JioTV
This match is not being broadcast on live TV but will be available to stream for subscribers to JioTV or Sony LIV.
UK:
This game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 4 in the UK, while subscribers can stream the action through the discovery+ platform.
