A first-half red card, home-team pressure, and a heroic performance from the goalkeeper. It sounded like a movie script, but it was exactly that which Barcelona overcame to emerge with a heart-stopping 1-0 victory over Benfica at Estádio da Luz, in the Champions League Round of 16. Raphinha clinical and Szczęsny heroic, Barça now heads into the return match at home with restrained confidence, nonetheless always on its toes.
Raphinha decisive on a brilliant but tricky night for Barça
The clock hit 61 minutes, the scoreboard was still blank, and Benfica was piling pressure, suffocating Barcelona after the early sending off of young Pau Cubarsí, just 22 minutes in. But there was a touch of irony from destiny, just at that very same moment, when the Portuguese side threatened to spoil the party, rescue came in the form of Raphinha. With a clinical finish, the Brazilian striker put the ball into Benfica's net and deposited Barça exactly where they'd wanted to be.
It wasn't just relief, it was symbolic. It was a sign that though dented by numbers, the team had endurance. Now, having acquired this boon, Barcelona returns to Spain confident seasoned with recent pain — after all, last season's defeat at the hands of PSG is still an open wound that can't be helped but remember.
Szczęsny, the saint who was left in Lisbon
But come on: the victory was not down to the Brazilian's solitary strike only. It was also due in large part to the gloves of Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. While Raphinha made the difference up front, Szczęsny supplied it at the back, saving multiple times under pressure that all too easily might have turned the match into a disaster for Barcelona.
From the very first chance, only 19 seconds into the match, Szczęsny showed that it was his night. He did not have fewer than eight difficult saves, five of which were inside the box, something Barcelona fans had not seen in a long, long time. To be precise, since Ter Stegen was brilliant against Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 had a Barça goalkeeper made that many saves in a Champions League match.
But unlike then, Szczęsny left the pitch peacefully, with a clean sheet, something that had not been achieved in circumstances like these since 2003/04.
Good history raises hopes for Barça
Historically, the victory in Lisbon gives Catalan fans plenty of reasons to believe that their spot in the next round is secure. After all, the last 12 times Barça won the first leg on the road in a Champions League knockout round, they advanced 11 times. Yes, you read that right. The only recent exception was last season's heartbreaking loss to PSG.
Benfica, for its part, carries the inverse burden. The Portuguese side has never advanced beyond the Champions League after dropping the first leg on home soil. It's almost pathetic, right? But football is different from what is experienced on the pitch. That is exactly why the coach, Hansi Flick, has already warned: "Nothing's decided yet. Soccer loves surprises."