Raphinha produced a sensational display, scoring a hat-trick to inspire Barcelona to a commanding 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Softfootball added that the emphatic victory ended Barcelona’s long wait for a win over the German giants, their first since Lionel Messi and Neymar inspired a 3-0 Champions League semi-final triumph in 2015.
Bayern entered the contest having won their previous six meetings against the Catalan club, but Hansi Flick’s side finally turned the tide with an outstanding attacking performance.
Raphinha opened the scoring after sprinting onto a perfectly weighted through ball before rounding Manuel Neuer and calmly finishing.
Harry Kane thought he had equalised shortly after, but his effort was ruled out for offside. The England captain eventually got on the scoresheet in the 18th minute, volleying home Serge Gnabry’s cross to make it 1-1.
Former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski restored Barcelona’s lead in the 36th minute, finishing into an empty net before Raphinha struck again on the stroke of halftime with a brilliant solo effort.
The Brazilian completed his memorable hat-trick in the 56th minute, racing onto another long pass before drilling a low finish beyond Neuer.
The victory lifted Barcelona to 10th place on six points after three matches, while Bayern slipped to 23rd following their second defeat of the campaign.
Elsewhere, reigning champions Real Madrid came from two goals down to defeat Borussia Dortmund 5-2, with Vinicius Junior grabbing a superb hat-trick. Manchester City hammered Sparta Prague 5-0, Lille stunned Atletico Madrid 3-1 away, Liverpool edged RB Leipzig 1-0, Inter Milan defeated Young Boys 1-0, Atalanta were held to a goalless draw by Celtic, while Bayer Leverkusen and Brest played out a 1-1 draw.
