FC Barcelona finally got their revenge on Bayern Munich, smashing them 4-1 on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League. Raphinha stole the show with a hat-trick, and Robert Lewandowski scored against his former team. Bayern’s only goal came from Harry Kane.

The Barça squad is on fire, and today they faced their first real test in a game full of symbolism, especially for the German coach, who led Bayern to that historic sextuple in 2020, including the iconic 8-2 that knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League. Barça quickly took control of the game, scoring just two minutes in. A beautiful link-up between Lewandowski, Pedri, and Fermín set up Raphinha, who made a clever run, dribbled past Neuer, and slotted the ball into the net.

Harry Kane gave a warning 10 minutes later, heading in a cross from Müller on the right, but Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic ruled it offside. Eight minutes later, though, the British '9' found the back of the net again, this time legally, with an acrobatic volley at the far post from a Gnabry cross on the left.

The equalizer woke up the Catalan team, and they finally started controlling the ball, winning it back high up the pitch and playing their sharp, intense football—even against a team like Bayern. They were rewarded with another goal in the 35th minute. Fermín outmuscled Kim Min-Jae and laid it off to Lewandowski, who easily finished past Neuer. Bayern protested the goal, claiming a foul in the aerial challenge from the Barça midfielder, but the fast pace of the game soon brought more action, including another banger just before halftime.

Once again, it was Raphinha, absolutely on fire, who controlled a 40-meter pass from Casadó, squared up Guerreiro and Upamecano, and unleashed a curling shot past Neuer’s far post, sending the crowd at the Lluís Companys stadium into a frenzy, chanting his name.

Bayern looked sharper after the break, with Palhinha firing just over after a clearance from the home defense. But in a game between two teams that always defend on the front foot, and whose backlines live on the edge the entire match, anything can happen.

And once again, it was Raphinha who found the gap. Lamine Yamal received a ball in behind the visiting defense, and the Brazilian, who was captain on this wild Wednesday night, did the rest with a low shot across goal after weaving between Kim Min-Jae and Upamecano. He beat Neuer just before the half-hour mark.

In the final stretch, Flick decided to rest his key players, with an eye on next Saturday's big clash against Real Madrid. And with the Bernabéu in sight, Barça seems ready to send a clear message: they’re back. With this win, Barcelona climbs up to 9th place in the overall standings with 6 points, while Bayern Munich drops all the way down to 23rd with just 3 points in this year's Champions League.