Barcelona star Ferran Torres praised the team spirit of the Blaugrana after coming off the bench to net a brace and help the Spanish giants secure a dramatic 3-2 Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund, Soccernet.football reports.
A 71st minute substitute, Torres found the back of the net just minutes after coming on to give Barcelona a 2-1 lead. Serhou Guirassy, who had earlier cancelled out Raphinha’s opener, leveled the score again before Torres’s 85th minute strike sealed the win for the Catalans.
“It’s one of those games that make a group, that make us stick together, because we knew how to suffer… instead of falling apart, we reacted very well,” Torres told Movistar Plus as quoted by Supersports.
“It’s everything, it’s recovering our feelings, it’s the victory, it’s the unity we’ve shown, it’s how we celebrate the goals, which also adds up, and being able to dedicate the victory to all the Barcelona fans who have travelled.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick also echoed the sentiments of his player following the full time whistle. The Blaugrana boss was particularly pleased with how well his team was able to handle the pressure from Dortmund.
“We can be very happy with what we have done,” Flick told reporters.
“The first half was wonderful and in the second half, when they scored, we remained calm and solid.
“Dortmund played very well with players who have a high pace but we did it well. We conceded goals because of mistakes we made.
“We can always improve, but today I have to say congratulations to the team because they did it really well.”
Barcelona are currently second on the Champions League table and they will have their sights set on sealing automatic qualification to the round of 16 next month with Benfica and Atalanta, their two remaining opponents. For now, the focus switches to maintaining their lead at the summit of La Liga when they face Leganes on Sunday.