Barcelona-Sevilla

Lore & Background

Barcelona suffered their heaviest loss in 69 years; this was the first time they had conceded more than five goals in a UEFA Champions League game, and their worst concession since the 8–0 defeat to Sevilla in the round of 16 of the 1946 Copa del Generalísimo. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, continued their run of winning all UEFA Champions League matches they played in the season, and would go on to lift the title. The eight goals Bayern scored was the most a side had scored in a European Cup knockout match since Real Madrid defeated FC Swarovski Tirol 9–1 in the last 16 tie in 1990.

Reader's Guide

The match was played on 14 August 2020 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal. It was part of a single-elimination tournament, following UEFA's decision to complete the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League and 2019–20 UEFA Europa League seasons, which had been halted since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at neutral venues. In the opening 10 minutes, Thomas Müller fired Bayern Munich ahead following a one-two with Robert Lewandowski. Shortly after, David Alaba sliced a cross from Jordi Alba into his own net to level the scores.

The following minutes took the match away from Barcelona, as Ivan Perišić kicked in a deflected shot in the 21st minute, Serge Gnabry scored in the 27th minute, and Müller quickly added the fourth four minutes later. In the 57th minute, a neat turn and finish by Suárez gave Barcelona hope, but Joshua Kimmich's side-footed finish in the 63rd minute made the scoreline 5–2. Bayern scored three goals in the closing 10 minutes: Lewandowski headed his 14th goal of the campaign in the 82nd minute, then Philippe Coutinho made the scoreline 8–2 with goals in the 85th and 89th minutes.

Did You Know?

• Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski became the first player to score in eight or more consecutive UEFA Champions League matches since Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2018.
• Bayern's coach Hansi Flick became only the third manager in Champions League history to win his first six matches in charge, after Fabio Capello in 1992–93 and Luis Fernández in 1994–95.
• The match was compared to the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final between Brazil and Germany, as Thomas Müller opened the scoring in the 7–1 routing of Brazil, which Jérôme Boateng and Manuel Neuer also took part in.
• Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué stated that the club needed structural changes on all levels, while club president Josep Maria Bartomeu described it as a 'disaster'.