Serhou Guirassy and Borussia Dortmund achieved what had eluded all others in 2025 by defeating Barcelona, though this feat ultimately proved insufficient to secure a spot in the Champions League semifinals.

Despite Guirassy's hat-trick, his team ultimately succumbed to defeat. Dortmund's 3-1 victory over Barcelona, marking the Spanish club's initial loss since December, proved insufficient to avert a 5-3 aggregate loss.

Having suffered a comprehensive 4-0 defeat in the initial leg of the quarterfinal, Dortmund, with nothing to jeopardise on Tuesday, adopted an aggressive approach from the outset against Barcelona, unsettling the visitors.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, who has a lot of experience playing against and beating Dortmund from his time in the German league, said the enthusiastic home fans meant he thought the second game would be difficult even though his team was four goals ahead.

"I had a palpable sense that something of this nature was imminent," Flick disclosed to broadcaster Amazon Prime. "Today, one must commend Dortmund; they delivered a truly impressive performance. Furthermore, I extend congratulations to my own squad for reaching the semifinals."

The match proved remarkably subdued for Barcelona's usually potent attacking duo, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, who had netted 12 and 11 Champions League goals respectively this campaign. Their most significant scoring opportunity materialized when Raphinha directed a rather feeble attempt towards Dortmund's custodian, Gregor Kobel.

After a game which further elevated his profile and positioned him as the season's leading Champions League goalscorer, coach Niko Kovac referred to Guirassy as Dortmund's "life insurance," remarking, "Like any forward, Serhou requires the backing of his colleagues, and he received that today."

Dortmund had arguably suffered a decisive setback in the first leg of the quarterfinal and were further hampered by the absence of captain Emre Can and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who were sidelined with injuries earlier that day.

For a period, Guirassy appeared capable of achieving the seemingly unattainable.

Having squandered opportunities in the initial match and missed further chances early in Tuesday's encounter, Guirassy proved clinical from the penalty spot in the 11th minute following a collision between Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Pascal Gross.

Guirassy extended Stuttgart's lead to 2-0 with a header in the 49th minute, and an own goal from Ramy Bensebaini further complicated Dortmund's challenge; Fermín López's low cross deflected off Bensebaini's ankle, a particularly frustrating moment for Dortmund as the defender had been pivotal in their attempted comeback, having assisted Guirassy's second goal moments prior.

Guirassy took advantage of Ronald Araujo's mistake in defense to finish his hat-trick with a strong shot from close range in the 76th minute. This made him the top scorer in the Champions League this season with 13 goals.

This revitalised Dortmund's aspirations for achieving what would have arguably been one of the most remarkable comebacks in Champions League history – a feat comparable to Barcelona's against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 – but Barcelona ultimately secured their passage.

Barcelona will confront either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the semifinals, marking their first appearance in the Champions League's final four since the 2018-19 campaign. Meanwhile, in Tuesday's alternate fixture, PSG advanced to the semifinals after securing a 5-4 aggregate victory against Aston Villa, notwithstanding a 3-2 defeat in the second leg.

This defeat marked Barcelona's initial setback across all competitions since their 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid on December 21st. Furthermore, it represented their first Champions League loss since September and only the seventh defeat in Flick's tenure of 50 matches. The German manager had previously secured victories in all seven encounters against Dortmund while at the helm of both Barcelona and Bayern.

Dortmund might face a protracted wait before the Champions League anthem resonates through its stadium once more.

The team which was runner-up in last year's Champions League currently sits in eighth position in the Bundesliga with five matches left, trailing the Champions League qualification spots by six points.