Barcelona hit seven past Newcastle to roar into Champions League quarters
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BARCELONA, March 18 : Barcelona stormed into the Champions League quarter-finals with a thumping 7-2 victory over Newcastle United at Camp Nou on Wednesday, sealing an emphatic 8-3 aggregate triumph in a compelling round-of-16 tie.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the sixth minute after Fermin Lopez led a swift counter attack, but Anthony Elanga levelled nine minutes later from Lewis Hall's cross. Marc Bernal restored Barca's lead from a Raphinha free kick before Elanga struck again in the 28th minute after Lamine Yamal failed to clear.
Yamal made amends by converting a spot kick deep into first-half added time after VAR spotted Kieran Trippier's foul on Raphinha inside the box and Barca came storming back from the break to score four goals in the second half.
Fermin added a fourth in the 52nd minute and Robert Lewandowski scored twice in quick succession, first with a header from a corner and then from Yamal's through ball.
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Raphinha sealed the rout in the 73rd minute after a Jacob Ramsey mistake, with the Catalan side now set to meet either Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
"We are delighted, it was a great performance," Raphinha told Movistar Plus.
"Newcastle are a very physical side; if they’re on form, they make life difficult for you. We were calm throughout the match and knew we had to control the game. We lost possession a lot in the first half but the third and fourth goals came quickly and helped us settle down."
DEVASTATING IN ATTACK, VULNERABLE AT THE BACK
It was a night that showcased both the irresistible and the unreliable sides of Hansi Flick's team — devastating in attack, yet persistently vulnerable at the back.
Barcelona have now scored 30 goals in this season's competition, an average of three per game, but they are still without a clean sheet, having conceded 17 in 10 matches.
Raphinha set the tone after six minutes, finishing off a slick counter attack after Fermin collected a long pass on the right, cut inside and squared for the Brazilian to slot a low strike inside the far post.
Newcastle responded nine minutes later. Hall burst beyond Eric Garcia — deployed at right back due to Jules Kounde's injury — and crossed low for Elanga, who controlled and finished neatly under Joan Garcia.
The goals kept flowing. In the 18th minute, Raphinha swung in a free kick from the right, Gerard Martin headed back across goal and Bernal slipped between two defenders to fire home from close range.
Newcastle struck again in the 28th minute after Yamal's attempted back-heeled clearance fell kindly to Anthony Gordon, who rolled the ball across for the unmarked Elanga to score his second with a first-time finish.
Yamal squandered a close-range chance in added time after Aaron Ramsdale had produced a one-handed save from Raphinha, blazing over with the goal at his mercy.
But Barcelona were handed a lifeline deep into first-half stoppage time when VAR intervened after Trippier held Raphinha's arm inside the box. Yamal stepped up and blasted the penalty to Ramsdale's right to make it 3-2.
The second half turned into a procession. In the 52nd minute, Raphinha threaded a first-time pass through the middle for Fermin, who beat the offside trap and finished low to the keeper's left. Barely a minute later, Lewandowski rose at the far post to head in Raphinha's corner.
Lewandowski added his second in the 61st minute after Yamal surged through midfield and slipped a precise through ball into his path, the Polish striker finishing confidently past Ramsdale.
The seventh arrived in the 73rd minute after Ramsey slipped while attempting to clear, gifting possession to Raphinha, who steadied himself and struck past Ramsdale to complete the rout.
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