Raphinha stole the spotlight with a hat-trick in Barcelona’s dominant 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday, marking their first win against the German side since 2015 in the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona had lost their previous six encounters with Bayern, but Raphinha’s electric performance helped break that streak.
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Bayern entered the match after a surprise 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on matchday 2, and while they showed promise early on, the night belonged to the Catalans.
Raphinha opened the scoring by latching onto a through ball, rounding goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and slotting home.
Harry Kane thought he had equalized in the 10th minute, but his effort was disallowed for offside. Kane eventually made it 1-1 with a volley in the 18th minute after a Serge Gnabry cross.
Barcelona regained the lead in the 36th minute through former Bayern star Robert Lewandowski, who finished into an empty net after a defensive mix-up. Just before halftime, Raphinha struck again with a curling shot after a brilliant run down the right flank.
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In the second half, Raphinha sealed his hat-trick with a clinical finish in the 56th minute, racing onto another long ball and driving a low shot past Neuer.
After three games, Barcelona sit in 10th place on six points, while Bayern are further down in 23rd spot.
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