In a thrilling encounter at the Estadio da Luz, Barcelona’s Raphinha scored a last-minute goal to clinch a 5-4 comeback victory over Benfica, securing their spot at the top of their Champions League group. This dramatic win followed a hat trick by Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who helped Benfica establish a two-goal lead by halftime.
Barcelona’s shaky start to the match was exacerbated by coach Hansi Flick’s controversial choice to start goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, whose errors contributed to two of Benfica’s goals. Despite being down 3-1, the Catalans rallied to turn the match around and currently hold second place in the group with 18 points from seven matches, approaching their final group-stage fixture next week.
Benfica’s defeat has placed them in a difficult position, dropping to 18th place with 10 points, missing out on critical opportunities to secure passage into the Champions League knockout stage. Raphinha commented on the match, saying, “We knew it was going to be a difficult game. It was a spectacular match for the spectators. Anyone could have won.”
The match saw numerous shifts in momentum. Pavlidis opened the scoring early, but after Lewandowski equalized from the penalty spot, Benfica regained the lead through Pavlidis again, who took advantage of Szczesny’s misstep. Barcelona slowly began their comeback with a fortunate goal from Raphinha and a penalty converted by Lewandowski. Even after conceding an own goal from Ronald Araújo, they fought back with a late equalizer from substitute Eric García before Raphinha’s dramatic winner.
Garcia expressed pride in the team’s resilience, highlighting the importance of this victory for their qualification hopes. Looking ahead, Barcelona will host Atalanta in their final group stage match, while Benfica will aim to recover against Juventus.
This match underscores the unpredictable nature of football, where perseverance can lead to unexpected victories. Both teams are still battling for their season objectives, and fans can look forward to an exciting finale in the group stages.