Raphinha’s second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory for 10-man Barcelona against Benfica in a dramatic Champions League last-16 first leg in Lisbon. The Brazilian’s clinical finish proved decisive in a match marked by a red card, a disallowed penalty, and a crucial goalkeeping performance from Wojciech Szczesny.
The win gives Barcelona a slender advantage heading into the second leg at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, March 11th. The match echoed a previous encounter in the Champions League group stage in January, where Raphinha had scored a 96th-minute winner in a 5-4 thriller.
The early stages of the match were lively. Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu forced an early save from Szczesny, while Dani Olmo went close for Barcelona. Anatoliy Trubin then produced a remarkable triple save, denying both Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal.
The game’s complexion changed in the 22nd minute when Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi, aged 18, was shown a straight red card for bringing down Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis as the last man.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Barcelona largely controlled the remainder of a scrappy first half, though Benfica’s high defensive line created some threat.
Pavlidis, who had scored a hat-trick in the previous meeting between the two sides, missed a golden opportunity to put Benfica ahead early in the second half, scooping over the bar from Alvaro Carreras’ cutback. Szczesny then produced a brilliant reaction save to deny the Greek forward moments later.
It was Barcelona, however, who broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. A defensive error allowed Raphinha to drive forward and slot the ball into the bottom corner. It was the Brazilian’s 25th goal of the season and his ninth in the Champions League.
Benfica thought they had a lifeline in the 82nd minute when Szczesny was adjudged to have brought down Andrea Belotti in the box. However, the penalty award was overturned after a VAR review revealed an offside in the build-up.
Szczesny, who had been at fault for two goals in the previous encounter, produced another fine save late on from Renato Sanches to preserve Barcelona’s lead.
The victory extends Barcelona’s unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions and puts them in a strong, albeit narrow, position to reach the quarter-finals. The match highlighted Raphinha’s continued importance to the team, as well as Szczesny’s redemption after a difficult previous outing against Benfica.
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