Barcelona Stunned by Bayern Munich in Champions League ExitBarcelona Stunned by Bayern Munich in Champions League Exit Barcelona’s once-mighty European fortress crumbled into dust as Bayern Munich delivered a crushing blow to the Catalans in a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the Champions League quarterfinals on Friday. In a night of unfathomable horror for Barcelona, Bayern ran riot at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, sending shockwaves through the footballing world. The Bavarians took the lead just after four minutes through Thomas Muller, and it was clear from the outset that Barcelona were struggling to cope with their opponents’ relentless intensity and precision. Ivan Perisic doubled Bayern’s advantage shortly after, before Robert Lewandowski made it 3-0 with a coolly-taken penalty. The first half was a complete disaster for Barcelona, who looked utterly overwhelmed. After the break, Bayern continued to pour forward, with Serge Gnabry adding a sensational fourth. The German forward then completed his hat-trick with two more devastating strikes. Barcelona finally managed to pull one back through Luis Suarez, but Alphonso Davies restored Bayern’s five-goal cushion with a stunning goal. Coutinho, on loan from Barcelona to Bayern, completed the rout, scoring twice against his parent club. The result marks Barcelona’s heaviest defeat in European competition since a 5-1 loss to IFK Göteborg in the 1991 Champions League. It also ends their hopes of winning a first Champions League title since 2015. For Bayern, the victory was a resounding statement of intent. They have now reached the semifinals for the first time since 2018 and will be considered one of the favorites to win the competition. Barcelona, meanwhile, are left to pick up the pieces of a shattered dream. The defeat will raise serious questions about the future of manager Quique Setien and the direction of the club as a whole.
