Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. The Spanish giants had to battle for most of the game with 10 men after young defender Pau Cubarsí was sent off in the first half.
The match at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon was an intense affair, with both teams creating early chances. Benfica nearly took the lead within seconds, but Wojciech Szczesny made a quick save to deny Kerem Akturkoglu. At the other end, Barcelona also came close, as Dani Olmo fired narrowly wide. Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, then made an incredible triple save, stopping efforts from Olmo, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal in quick succession.
The game took a turn in the 22nd minute when Cubarsí was shown a red card for bringing down Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis as he raced toward goal. Szczesny saved the resulting free-kick from Orkun Kokcu, and coach Hansi Flick quickly adjusted by bringing on Ronald Araujo in place of Olmo to strengthen the defense.
Despite being a man down, Barcelona remained competitive. Szczesny continued to play a key role, making another crucial save to stop a header from Akturkoglu. Then, in the 61st minute, Raphinha seized his moment. After pressing high up the pitch, he won possession and fired a powerful shot from distance that took a slight deflection before finding the net. It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, showing his impressive form.
As Benfica pushed for an equalizer, Barcelona’s defense was put under heavy pressure. In the closing minutes, the home side believed they had won a penalty when Szczesny collided with Andrea Belotti. However, the referee ruled it out due to an offside in the build-up.
Barcelona held on to their slim lead, giving them an advantage ahead of the second leg at home next week.
