When almost every player in a Barcelona shirt has been so bad, it’s difficult to know where to even begin when objectively looking back over a game.

By the half-time whistle in Dortmund, the hosts had engineered 10 shots (seven on target) compared to one from the visitors (off target).

Frankly, and disappointingly from a Barca perspective, there was only one team in it for the vast majority of this Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie.

A 4-0 first-leg win had evidently brainwashed the Catalans into believing that they already had one foot in the semi-final because how else do you explain a performance that mirrored those against Roma and Liverpool from years back?

Accurate passing remains the Catalans stock-in trade, but that was scarcely on show as Barca lost the ball time and time again.

Even when they had it they couldn’t keep it, with poor pass after poor pass the sum total of the visitors’ first 45 minutes.

Hansi Flick was incredulous at times on the sidelines, and incandescent with rage during other moments. And no wonder. His side was being taught a footballing lesson by a team that’s struggling to even qualify for Europe at the end of this season.

The only saving grace on the night was a lack of finishing from Dortmund’s attackers, or else Barca could conceivably been two or three down before half-time.

Not having the metronomic presence of Pedri in midfield for the first hour seemed to markedly affect the visitors, with the midfield three of Frenkie, Fermin and Gavi clearly not working as a trio.

As a result Dortmund were able to move through those areas of the pitch with ease.

Fermin at least forced Ramy Bensebaini into an own goal which briefly sucked the life out of a stadium that had been rocking from minute one.

Gerard Martin offered little on the left side in an attacking sense, and with no Alejandro Balde raiding down the left it meant there wasn’t the usual outlet from which the visitors could spring and release the pressure of consistent Dortmund attacks.

Noticeably, the hosts’ third came down his side, and the late surge from them was concentrated down Barca’s left as time and again the hosts created chances.

The back four more generally seemed nervous and unable to settle for long periods of the match, and they only seemed to do so once Pedri was introduced in front of them.

Whilst the Canary Islander’s importance to the team has never been in question, it was perhaps never better evidenced than in Tuesday night’s game. Everything changed for the Blaugranes in the period between his introduction and the third Dortmund goal.

Even then Pedri was calmness personified at arguably the biggest moment of Barca’s season. One more goal against at that point, and the hosts would’ve believed their name was on the cup with the big ears.

The 22-year-old, along with De Jong, drove Barca forward with that innate ability to knit everything together with ease, and the strength of his cameo really can’t be overlooked.

The history books will show that Dortmund were much the better side but still went out, and when all is said and done, that’s the only thing that matters.

Semi-finals for the first time in six years? Bring. It. On.