The resounding victory in the first leg played at Montjuïc against Borussia Dortmund filled Barcelona with hope and excitement about returning to the semifinals of the Champions League. It’s a goal that should mark a turning point for a team looking to end a five-year-long agonizing journey through the Champions League wilderness that, coincidentally, began with Hansi Flick.

Flick sparked Barcelona’s Champions League nightmare

The last time Barcelona reached the semifinals of the Champions League was in the 2018–19 season, when they convincingly defeated Manchester United in the quarterfinals with an aggregate score of 4–0. However, that devastating loss to Liverpool at Anfield, just one step away from the final, dealt a fatal blow to FC Barcelona, from which, now in 2025, they are still trying to recover.

Since then, Barcelona has fallen well short of returning to the Champions League semifinals in the last five editions. In fact, it all started in the 2019–2020 season when Bayern Munich, then coached by Hansi Flick, inflicted a humiliating 8–2 defeat in Lisbon, one from which Barcelona still hasn't recovered.

Barcelona regains hope after hitting rock bottom in the Champions League

From that point on, Barcelona was knocked out twice by PSG in Champions League knockout rounds—the first in 2021 in the round of 16, and the most recent in 2024 in the quarterfinals. However, there were also seasons, such as 2021–22 and 2022–23, when Barcelona hit rock bottom and failed to even make it out of the group stage of the Champions League.

Undefeated so far in 2025, the atmosphere in Barcelona feels completely different now… and the path to the semifinals looks within reach. However, if Real Madrid is known for pulling off comebacks… then Barcelona is known for suffering them. So no fan will truly be at ease until the referee blows the final whistle and confirms that this long walk through hell has finally come to an end.