Barcelona manage a narrow victory despite teenage defender Pau Cubarsí being sent off in the first half.
Raphinha scored the only goal of the match to secure Barcelona a 1-0 win in the Champions League last-16 first leg against Benfica, despite the Catalan giants playing most of the game with 10 men.
Eighteen-year-old defender Pau Cubarsí was sent off midway through the first half of the tightly contested clash in Lisbon on Wednesday, with the score still level.
Raphinha fired home in the 61st minute to give five-time champions Barcelona a slight advantage over Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona, who last won the competition in 2015, are expected to make a deep run this season, especially after what many consider a favourable draw.
Hansi Flick insisted before the match that there was no such thing as an “easy” Champions League tie, and the coach was proven right in a tense evening in the Portuguese capital.
“I’m very proud,” the German coach said after his team emerged victorious.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, who made two high-profile errors against Benfica in the league stage in January, redeemed himself with a series of crucial saves as Barcelona were pinned back in the final half-hour.
Szczęsny made a smart stop to deny Benfica’s Kerem Aktürkoğlu within seconds, setting the tone for a game that mirrored the intensity of Barcelona’s previous 5-4 win in Lisbon.
“The last time, I don’t think [Szczęsny] left here very happy,” said Barcelona midfielder Pedri. “He saved a lot tonight—especially that early chance, which could have put us on the back foot. He’s a massive presence in goal, and it’s great to have him.”
Dani Olmo fired narrowly wide at the other end as Barcelona threatened, but Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin produced an incredible triple save to keep the score level. The Ukrainian first parried Olmo’s effort, then made a brilliant reflex stop to deny Robert Lewandowski from close range, before smothering Lamine Yamal’s follow-up attempt.
Barcelona suffered a setback when 18-year-old centre-back Cubarsí was sent off after 22 minutes.
The Spaniard brought down Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who had scored a hat-trick in the group stage, as he charged towards goal.
Szczęsny saved Orkun Kökçü’s free-kick, prompting Flick to replace Olmo with defender Ronald Araújo to stabilize the team.
The Polish goalkeeper, who was brought out of retirement by Barcelona after Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury in September, also made a fine reaction save to keep out Aktürkoğlu’s header before halftime.
Despite being a man down, Flick’s Barcelona held their own at the Estádio da Luz.
Szczęsny made another crucial save to stop Pavlidis and keep Benfica at bay, before Raphinha broke the deadlock.
After Flick replaced Yamal early in the second half with Ferran Torres, Raphinha intercepted the ball high up on the right flank and unleashed a low, deflected shot from distance to score.
It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, as the forward continues to enjoy the form of his career.
Barcelona defended desperately in the closing stages as Benfica pushed for an equalizer.
The hosts thought they had won a penalty when Szczęsny brought down Andrea Belotti, but an offside in the buildup spared Barcelona, and they held on to their lead.
“Today we knew how to defend,” added Pedri. “After the red card, we knew exactly what to do—stay compact at the back, defend as a unit, and take advantage of the chances created by our attacking players.”
Elsewhere in the Champions League last 16, Bayern Munich defeated Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, while Liverpool, despite being second best for much of the match, secured a 1-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain thanks to Harvey Elliott’s late goal.
In the early game on Wednesday, Lautaro Martínez scored to become Inter Milan’s all-time leading scorer in the Champions League, helping the Italian giants to a 2-0 victory over Feyenoord.
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