Torres sinks Dortmund to send Barcelona into knockouts

Substitute Ferran Torres struck twice in 10 minutes to earn Barcelona a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday and seal their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Raphinha opened the scoring for Barcelona on 53 minutes in Germany, latching onto a Dani Olmo pass on the counter, but Serhou Guirassy equalised seven minutes later from the penalty spot.

Torres, who replaced the ineffective former Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, tapped in a rebound with 15 minutes to play only for Guirassy to again haul Dortmund level.

With the hosts pushing for a first ever victory over Barcelona on their fifth attempt, Lamine Yamal fed Torres on a fast break and the winger drilled the ball past Gregor Kobel.

“Dortmund are a team who push you to the limit always,” Barcelona midfielder Olmo told DAZN.

“I think we played a great game and had our chances. I think we can leave satisfied.”

The win ensured Barcelona will reach at least the playoffs while putting them in pole position for a top-eight berth and direct qualification for the last 16.

Dortmund suffered their first loss at home in all competitions this season, sliding down to ninth in the Champions League table.

“We played a really good game, (but) we were too naive and we simply gave away the goals we conceded,” said Kobel.

Beset by injuries, Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin named a surprise starting XI, opting for pace and youth to try and catch out Hansi Flick’s high-risk, high-reward visitors.

Sahin handed Julien Duranville, 18, a starting debut while Gio Reyna started for the first time this season.

Raphinha caused Dortmund problems early and was inches away from a tap in before he blasted just wide with an open goal beckoning moments later.

When Dortmund did make it out of