Benfica 0-1 Barcelona: Raphinha's strike and Szczesny's heroics earn 10-man Barca victory at Benfica
Barcelona battled to a gutsy 1-0 win over Benfica in their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash on Wednesday, with Raphinha netting the decisive goal despite the visitors playing most of the match with 10 men. Teenage defender Pau Cubarsí was shown a straight red card in the 22nd minute for a last-man challenge on Vangelis Pavlidis, leaving Barça under intense pressure. However, an outstanding performance from veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny kept them in contention before Raphinha capitalized on a defensive mistake to secure the win.
The Brazilian winger struck in the 61st minute after intercepting a poor pass across Benfica’s box, firing a low shot that took a deflection before sneaking in at the near post. Despite being outnumbered for nearly 70 minutes, Barcelona’s defensive resilience and Szczesny’s heroics ensured they left Portugal with a crucial first-leg advantage.
The Polish shot-stopper, who came out of retirement to replace the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, was the standout performer of the night. He made eight saves, including a reflex stop to deny Fredrik Aursnes and a crucial late intervention against Renato Sanches. "Szczesny saved us many times today, he is outstanding," said Barcelona midfielder Pedri. "You have to give a lot of credit for the team's effort after going a man down so early in the game. On other days it was harder for us, but today we hung on and defended really well."
Benfica dominated possession with over 60% of the ball and registered 15 goal attempts but failed to break through. Aursnes expressed his frustration after the match, stating, "It's a bad result, we had good chances today, especially when they got the red card... It's a very disappointing result."
With the return leg at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona looming, the Catalan giants hold the advantage, but Benfica will be determined to overturn the deficit and keep their Champions League hopes alive.
SportsLigue