It wasn’t a straightforward victory for Barcelona over Borussia Dortmund Sunday night. Although the hosts made it difficult, the Blaugrana had a strong approach and kept up a strong offside trap.

Barcelona’s captain, Raphinha, put the team ahead in the second half, but Nuri Sahin’s team rallied with a penalty that was won practically immediately by Serhou Guirassy.

After Ferran Torres put the Blaugrana ahead again, the Dortmund striker took advantage of Inaki Pena’s weakened position to put the Germans back on even terms.

But following Lamine Yamal’s fantastic assist, Ferran eventually finished calmly to complete his brace and guarantee his team’s much-needed victory.

Since Signal Iduna Park is a fortress for Borussia Dortmund, playing there is one of the most intimidating experiences in football.

Given that they were playing the Germans at home, Barcelona was never going to have an easy time facing Nuri Sahin’s team, and many people thought it would be their most difficult remaining UCL match.

For Hansi Flick’s team, losing three points in the stadium is huge, especially when looking at the leaderboard.

Dortmund and Barcelona were tied for 12 points after four games prior to last night’s match. However, the victory puts the Catalans in sole second place in the race with 15 of a possible 18 points.

In a huge relief for the team, Barcelona is only one victory away from guaranteeing a spot in the top eight and making it straight to the Round of 16.

After all, the Blaugrana have a very busy schedule, so missing two games is a huge disappointment. They will not have an easy time when they play Benfica and Atalanta next, but they can still bet on themselves to win at least three of the six games.

Hansi Flick faced criticism for his decision to bench both Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski following Dortmund’s equalizer since the club lacked a legitimate goal scorer to end the match.

However, Ferran Torres stood up for the Catalans and delivered when it counted most, thus the manager’s choice paid off.

Despite the commotion surrounding the Spaniard’s lackluster finishing ability, Torres scored a brace under duress and gave the club all three points by converting both of his shots on goal and making the most of his xG of 1.

He initially got on the rebound of Fermin Lopez’s effort, which the goalie parried away, then blasted it into the back of the net with accuracy after entering the game as a substitute for 19 minutes.

He had to timing his run past the defense, control the ball, and beat the goalie from a tight angle in the second finish, which was more technical and required surgeon-like accuracy.

Torres’ confidence in front of goal was the only thing that allowed the club to win last night, and he deserves special recognition for stepping up when they most needed a deadly finisher.

Barcelona’s results in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League have been so dissimilar that it is hard to imagine that the team who fell to Las Palmas had a reasonably easy victory against Borussia Dortmund.

Playing at one of the most difficult stadiums in the sport, the Catalans made sure they had total control of the first half. If they show up in their best form, it just proves they still have it in them.

Barcelona must maintain the same level of passion in La Liga going forward because any more mistakes could cause them to lag behind in the fight for the championship. The team needs to perform at its peak because they have difficult games against Leganes and Atletico Madrid coming up.

Needless to say, the game last night gives the team a ton of confidence and helps them go back to winning ways as quickly as possible.

Therefore, the manager’s goal should be to make the most of the victory and motivate his team to continue being consistent in all contests. They can’t afford to make a mistake because they will have the opportunity to win their first trophy next month.