Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain took commanding steps toward the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night — though their paths could hardly have been more different.

At the Parc des Princes, newly crowned Ligue 1 champions PSG were made to work for a 3-1 comeback win over Aston Villa, while in Catalonia, Barcelona tore Borussia Dortmund apart with a 4-0 demolition, highlighted by a ruthless display from Robert Lewandowski.

Barca Blitz Leaves Dortmund Reeling

Treble-chasing Barcelona extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches in all competitions with a thumping 4-0 victory over Dortmund, powered by a brace from Lewandowski against his former club. Raphinha and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal added to the tally as Hansi Flick’s side stamped their authority all over the tie.

Dominating from the opening whistle, Barca finally broke the deadlock in the 25th minute when Raphinha finished from close range. After the break, they turned on the style. Yamal’s dazzling wing run led to Lewandowski’s first — a simple header at the back post — before the Polish striker rifled home his second from just inside the box.

Yamal then added the fourth in the 77th minute, finishing off a swift counter-attack that left Dortmund scrambling. Despite a string of saves from Gregor Kobel, the visitors had no answers.

“We played very well, but we’re not thinking about the semi-finals yet,” said Lewandowski. “We must keep the same focus that brought us here.”

PSG overcome early scare to down Villa

Meanwhile in Paris, Villa’s Morgan Rogers silenced the home crowd by giving the visitors a surprise lead in the first half. A rare mistake in midfield from Nuno Mendes allowed John McGinn to launch a swift break, and Youri Tielemans picked out Rogers for a cool finish.

PSG responded with intensity and purpose. Just four minutes later, 19-year-old Desire Doue, already a rising star in Europe, curled home a sensational equalizer. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then gave the Parisians the lead with a rocket off the inside post early in the second half.

Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, playing the role of pantomime villain, kept the visitors in it with a series of impressive stops — including a fingertip save to deny Achraf Hakimi — but he could do little when Mendes made amends for his earlier error, cutting inside and finishing low to make it 3-1 in stoppage time.

Villa’s seven-game win streak was snapped, and they’ll now need a much more aggressive approach in the return leg at Villa Park.