Barcelona secured an astonishing 5-4 victory over Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday night, cementing their position as strong contenders for the Champions League round of 16. The Catalan giants overturned a two-goal deficit in the final minutes, thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time winner by Raphinha, in a match that left fans on the edge of their seats.
The clash saw Benfica take an early lead in just the second minute, when Vangelis Pavlidis fired home a low cross from Alvaro Carreras. Pavlidis, a standout for the Portuguese side, went on to complete a first-half hat-trick, exploiting two costly errors by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona, however, fought back with relentless determination. Robert Lewandowski equalized from the penalty spot after Alejandro Balde was brought down in the box. Despite this, a series of defensive lapses left Barcelona trailing 3-1 as Pavlidis capitalized on Szczesny’s misjudgments to net his second and third goals.
The drama intensified in the second half. Raphinha’s bizarre goal, where a clearance ricocheted off his head into the net, gave Barcelona hope. Still, Benfica seemed to seal the game when Ronald Araujo inadvertently nudged the ball into his own net.
Refusing to concede defeat, Barcelona surged forward. Lewandowski scored his second penalty after Nicolas Otamendi fouled Lamine Yamal, and substitute Eric Garcia equalized with a powerful header from a Pedri cross.
In the dying moments, with Benfica appealing for a penalty, Barcelona launched a swift counterattack. Raphinha coolly slotted the ball into the net to complete the comeback, sparking wild celebrations among the players and fans.
