BARCELONA — Barcelona captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to lead them to a commanding 4-1 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, ending a near decade-long winless run against the German powerhouse.

After six consecutive losses in which they were outscored 22 goals to four by Bayern, including a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals four years ago, Barcelona got their revenge with a great attacking performance led by their Brazilian captain.

Barcelona vs Bayern highlights

The UEFA Champions League has confirmed the fixtures for the new "league phase" format for the 2024/25 season. The draw marks a significant change from the traditional group stage format, with a shift towards a league phase that includes 36 teams, an increase from the previous 32.

Spoiler: Paris Saint-Germain are not liking the new format.

Confirmed: New UEFA Champions League "league phase" draw fixtures

Pot 1 fixtures:

MADRID — Real Madrid striker Joselu was in dreamland after he came on in the dying moments of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich on Wednesday and turned the game on its head with two goals to snatch a stunning victory.

Joselu, whose journeyman career has included spells at clubs such as Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover 96, Stoke City and Newcastle United, only touched the ball a few times in their 2-1 second-leg win, but it was a night he is likely to remember for a long time.

Real Madrid pulled off another stunning last-minute comeback victory against Bayern Munich to win 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) in the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday. One major talking point is a late Bayern offside call.

In the dying seconds of the game with Real Madrid leading 2-1, Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt thought he’d netted a dramatic equalizer. He’d be denied as the linesman raised his flag for an offside call just before his goal.

FC Bayern are still on the hunt for a new manager, with multiple renowned coaches rejecting to take on the club.

Lopetegui rejects Bayern Munich, accepts West Ham job

According to David Ornstein, Julen Lopetegui has become the latest manager to reject the offer of coaching Bayern Munich. 

Despite being contacted by the German club on Monday, the Spanish manager would have chosen to take an offer from West Ham to manage the team starting the 2024/25 season following the announced exit of current manager David Moyes.

MUNICH — Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr scored twice, including a late penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semifinal, first leg on Tuesday, leaving the tie wide open.

The Brazilian, who put Real in front after 24 minutes, has now scored in the semifinals for a third successive season.

Bayern had struck twice in four minutes early in the second half through a Leroy Sane strike and Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around before Vinicius' spot kick.

April 28 (Reuters) - Harry Kane has his eyes set on Robert Lewandowski's record for most Bundesliga goals in a season after scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, but the England striker acknowledges he needs "to get a move on".

Kane scored on either side of half-time on Saturday to take his tally to 42 goals this season across all competitions, while also putting him over the 400-goal mark at senior level for clubs and country.

How many goals does Harry Kane need for the Bundesliga scoring record?

Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Mario Gómez provided fans with a scorching hot take and interesting debate. 

Appearing on the podcast “Phrasenmäher”, Gómez made the argument that Manuel Neuer’s legacy is just as important to the sport as Lionel Messi’s.

"I would put Manuel Neuer on the same level as Messi in terms of importance in football history," Gómez said. "I don't know if we're all aware of what we experienced with a goalkeeper who revolutionized the game! We'll only understand this 20 years from now."

Does Gómez have a point?