Robert Lewandowski made a sensational return to haunt his former club, as the Polish striker netted a brace in a dominant display that saw Barcelona cruise to a 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Camp Nou on Wednesday night. The performance was nothing short of ruthless, as Barcelona took full control of the match from the opening whistle, leaving Dortmund with little opportunity to respond.

The Blaugrana wasted no time asserting their dominance, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal setting the tone early on. Yamal, full of energy and flair, forced an early save from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and linked up with Raphinha to stretch the Dortmund defence with quick and incisive runs. Barcelona's pressure eventually paid off in the 26th minute when they broke the deadlock through a scrappy opener. Pau Cubarsi’s initial effort was blocked, but the ball found its way to Raphinha, whose poke over the line survived a lengthy VAR review, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Despite some sporadic threats from Dortmund’s forward players, Serhou Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi, who attempted to cause problems for Barcelona’s defence, the German side struggled to create clear-cut chances. Their efforts were constantly thwarted by a composed Barcelona defence, led by the experienced Gerard Piqué and a solid display from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who was rarely troubled throughout the match.

Barcelona extended their lead just three minutes into the second half, with Lewandowski once again making his mark. A perfectly delivered diagonal ball from Yamal found Raphinha, who nodded it across goal for Lewandowski to head home and make it 2-0. The Polish striker's clinical finishing was on full display, as he scored his second goal just minutes later to put Barcelona firmly in control. This time, Lewandowski finished with calm precision after a slick team move involving substitute Fermin Lopez and Yamal, who provided the assist.

The final blow came late in the match, as Dortmund’s defence crumbled under the relentless pressure from Barcelona. Lewandowski, showing his trademark work rate, pressed high and won the ball back from Dortmund’s defenders. He quickly fed Raphinha, who, in turn, played a perfectly weighted pass to Yamal, who coolly slotted the ball into the net to seal a comprehensive 4-0 victory.

Throughout the night, Barcelona were the sharper, faster, and tactically superior team, with Hansi Flick’s side unable to match the intensity or quality of their opponents. Dortmund, under the guidance of Edin Terzic, were left shell-shocked and with a mountain to climb ahead of the return leg in Germany. With a commanding four-goal cushion, Barcelona are now in a near-unstoppable position, all but sealing their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The result was a statement performance from the Catalan giants, and they will now look to finish the job in the second leg to complete their march toward European glory.