'I was worried' - Raphinha reveals why he apologised to team-mate Pau Cubarsi after Champions League goal for Barcelona against Dortmund

Barcelona delivered a statement performance at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, crushing Dortmund to take full control of their quarter-final tie. Raphinha was on target first, before a Robert Lewandowski brace and a late effort from Lamine Yamal wrapped up an emphatic win.

As Pau Cubarsí’s effort crept towards the goal line, Raphinha slid in to ensure the ball crossed it, tapping it in from close range. While the ball may have gone in regardless, Raphinha’s intervention sparked a VAR check to determine whether he had been offside when the ball was played by the young defender. However, the goal stood and the defender was robbed of the opportunity of getting his name on the scoresheet.

"I was worried on the first goal if I was offside, it's good that it was given," Raphinha told reporters. "I apologised to Cubarsí. He told me no worries, he'd count it as an assist. I thought the ball was going wide; it was an instinctive decision."

That strike took Raphinha’s tally to 12 goals in the Champions League this season, making him the current top scorer in the competition. But his contributions didn’t stop there. The former Leeds United star also played a key role in setting up Lewandowski and Yamal, bringing his assist count to seven in the tournament. In total, Raphinha now has 19 goal contributions in Europe for Barcelona this season, equaling the best-ever European tally recorded by Lionel Messi in a single campaign with the club.

"I love playing with top-level players," Raphinha added. "We know each other really well on the pitch and that is important. We're achieving spectacular numbers and we hope we keep going like this."

With such a dominant first-leg scoreline, Barcelona now have one foot in their first Champions League semifinal since 2019. The return leg in Germany will provide the final test, and should they see it through, a clash against Bayern Munich or Inter Milan awaits in the last four.