Bayern Munich 4 Barcelona 0

Ooooh Barcelona! Ooooh great Barcelona! What went wrong? This was the performance that confirmed what many see as a power shift in European football. Barcelona, small but perfectly, beautifully formed, were blown away by the better team in a cacophonous Allianz Arena. Munich are the daddies now.

Quicker, sharper, more incisive, relentless in their pursuit of victory, they were the better team in every way last night, stronger defensively but with greater attacking verve, too. 

Barcelona had 63 per cent of first-half possession, which amounted to one chance. Bayern’s 37 per cent looked like a slaughter. They made it count, they pierced, they hurt, they won by four for heaven’s sake. This was a victory beyond the wildest imagination.

It will take a performance so much greater than the 4-0 takedown of AC Milan for Barcelona to progress next week. The same scoreline will only net a draw and Bayern are a different class to the Italians.

They had good fortune with the second goal, which looked offside, but the scoreline, incredibly, did not flatter them. This Munich team has rewritten the record books domestically and may one day do so on a grander stage.

They have nothing to fear in Europe this season, and with a young team and money to burn, that may be true for a while.