If soccer is theatre, then Barcelona against Benfica was drama that had it all: unlikely heroes, twists of the most electric type, and an audience in disbelief at the turn of events at Estádio da Luz. Barcelona's 5-4 victory, sealed by Raphinha's last-second goal, will go down as one of the most thrilling matches in UEFA Champions League history.
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Pavlidis' hat trick and Szczesny's errors
The first half was a whirlwind. Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis scored three goals in just 30 minutes, seemingly destined to be the star of the night. However, two of those goals stemmed from glaring mistakes by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. At the 21st minute, Szczesny misjudged a cross, leaving Pavlidis with an open net. Minutes later, he committed a penalty that the forward calmly converted. However, Szczesny partially redeemed himself in the second half of the game. "Before the game, we talked with Szczesny," said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick after the game. "He made some mistakes, but in the end, he made a great save. Any player can make mistakes. We win together and lose together."
A fluke goal and second-half drama
The match seemed firmly in Benfica's hands of victory up until the 63rd minute. That is when keeper Anatoliy Trubin tried to clear the ball, with it ricocheting off Raphinha's head into the net. It was a fluke, but it rekindled Barcelona's hope. Even then, Benfica struck right back. A cross poorly cleared by Ronald Araújo saw them concede an own goal to make it 4-2 for the Portuguese side. To many, it felt like the final blow.
But Barcelona were not ready to quit. The Polish striker converted a penalty, which he received for himself, on the 78th minute and pulled the tie closer. Finally, in the 86th minute, Eric García headed into an equalizing goal, that caused a tremendous uproar from Estádio da Luz crowd.
Raphinha, a match hero
Benfica were close to a fifth with just stoppage time, but they never converted it, while in dying moments, it was Raphinha who found his name written in history books. After a scramble in Barcelona’s box, Ferrán Torres launched a long pass to the Brazilian. Sprinting from midfield, Raphinha outpaced his marker and finished with surgical precision to clinch the win. As Hansi Flick described it, “The most positive thing was the mentality we showed. We came back, and it’s wonderful. This is soccer. I’ve never experienced a comeback like this.”
Impact on the standings
The win mathematically secured Barcelona’s spot in the Round of 16, sitting second in the group with 18 points. Meanwhile, Benfica dropped to 18th place with 10 points, now needing a combination of results to stay alive in the competition. In the next round, Barcelona will face Atalanta, while Benfica travels to Juventus.