Flick urges Barcelona to keep focus after thrashing Dortmund

Barcelona thrashed visitors Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday but their manager Hansi Flick was quick to silence suggestions his side had already booked their place in the semifinals.

Flick played down Barca's sizeable lead ahead of next week's return visit to Germany.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, we are definitely not qualified yet. You never know what's going to happen because football is just a crazy sport,” Flick told Movistar Plus after the first leg at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona.

“To advance we have to play in Dortmund like we did today, without making mistakes. We played very well and when you play like that you score goals, which is what happened.”

Undefeated since late December, treble-chasing Barca were once again boosted by brilliant performances of their attacking trio.

Robert Lewandowski netted twice against his old club after Raphinha opened the scoring, while Lamine Yamal wrapped up the win, but Flick also heaped praise on his defender who managed to keep a clean sheet.

"[Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha] are brilliant and very important for us, but so is our defence and those who come in from the bench,” Flick said in his post-match press conference.

“They have been showing that they can quickly make an impact and reach the same level as those who were on the pitch from the start.

“At this point of the season, with this schedule, it's so important that we keep all the legs fresh. So the team's depth is key.

“We played at a very high level, but we did make some mistakes and we can improve. Dortmund have very fast players but we defended really well. I am very happy.” 

Despite Flick's perfectionism, Barcelona were imperious as they thumped Dortmund.

The treble-chasing Barca predictably dominated the opening stages and grabbed the lead after Raphinha's strike in the 25th minute. A string of saves from Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel frustrated Barca for the remainder of the first half.

Barcelona emerged more determined after the break and it took them only three minutes to score the second with Raphinha assisting Lewandowski, who nodded home from close-range.

The Polish striker extended their lead in the 66th from just inside the box while Lamine Yamal wrapped up another demolition job by Barcelona in the 77th.

Also on Wednesday night

Paris Saint-Germain were made to sweat to secure a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in their first leg at Parc des Princes in Paris, coming from behind after a shock opener from the visitors on Wednesday.

Morgan Rogers stunned the home crowd by putting Unai Emery's side ahead in the first half but PSG swiftly turned the tide as teenager Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes, with a late goal struck to give the newly crowned Ligue 1 champions a well-deserved victory.

PSG manager Luis Enrique said the late goal makes a difference.

“I think the goal in the last minute reflects or rewards what we’ve done in the previous 89-90 minutes,” he said.

A two-goal advantage is a comfortable cushion for possession-obsessed PSG, but Luis Enrique refused to see further than the return leg next Tuesday.

“We’re not going to go there to speculate. We don’t know how to play by speculating. I’ve never speculated with any team, much less with a team of this quality.

“If we want to reach the semifinals, we need to go there to win the game, we need to go there and hurt the opponent. We’ll have more space than here.”

PSG's dominance on the ball was evident as they dictated the tempo with a blend of composed possession, technical precision, and their trademark high pressing.

Villa, whose seven-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end, will need to show more in the return leg next Tuesday.