Borussia Dortmund, led by their top marksman, Serhou Guirassy, hosted FC Barcelona at Signal Iduna Park in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final fixture, knowing full well that they had to attempt to accomplish the impossible.
Dortmund started the game on the front foot, throwing everything they had at the Catalans from the get go. Their persistence was rewarded as Pascal Gross was brought down in the penalty box by Wojciech Szczesny and they were awarded a penalty in the 9th minute of the game. Guinean hitman Serhou Guirassy stepped up and buried the penalty beautifully, sending it straight down the middle. Perfect start to the game for the hosts!
Dortmund wasted no time in doubling their lead after the break as Guirassy netted his second goal four minutes into the second half. The towering striker was on hand to prod Ramy Bensebaini’s flick into the net with a header from close range.
Algerian full-back Bensebaini went from hero to zero as his 54th-minute own goal undid Dortmund’s hard work, handing the visitors a much-needed cushion.
Looking to swing the match back in their favour, Dortmund made a couple of substitutions, and it paid off a couple of minutes later. 64th minute substitute Julien Duranville teased an inviting cross into the box following some fine work down the wing and Ronald Araujo’s failed clearance fell to Guirassy in the box, who proceeded to hammered the ball powerfully into the net with a swing of his left foot in the 74th minute, completing his treble in style. A perfect hat-trick! With his hat-trick, Guirassy became the fourth player in Dortmund history to net a hat-trick in the UCL.
Dortmund had the ball in the back of the net four minutes later. However, it was ruled out for offside as their hopes for an infamous comeback faded gradually. Despite losing the tie on aggregate, Dortmund can take pleasure in their performance.
Guirassy shattered numerous African records in the wake of his iconic performance against Barcelona, becoming the first African player to net a treble against Barcelona in Europe’s biggest club competition. The Guinean striker is the first African player to score three goals in a single match at the quarter-finals or at a later stage in the Champions League. With 13 goals and four assists in the UCL this season, he is the competition’s highest goal scorer, and his goal tally is the highest ever recorded by an African player in a single UCL campaign.
Barcelona had never lost to Dortmund in European Competition prior to this match. One man rewrote history for Dortmund. Remember his name: Serhou Guirassy.
