Barcelona showcased resilience and grit to claim a 1-0 win against Benfica in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Estadio da Luz, despite being reduced to ten men for over an hour. A stunning second-half strike from Raphinha proved the difference in a match dominated by exceptional goalkeeping and defensive heroics on both sides.
The game exploded into life just 18 seconds in when Barcelona’s sloppy start gifted Benfica an early chance. Kerem Aktürko?lu pounced on a loose ball, only to see his first-time shot brilliantly tipped around the post by Wojciech Szczesny. The hosts kept up the pressure, with Leandro Barreiro firing over from a half-volley moments later, but Hansi Flick’s side gradually found their footing.
Barcelona’s first real threat came when Dani Olmo flashed a shot wide, but it was Anatoliy Trubin who stole the spotlight in the 12th minute. The Benfica goalkeeper produced a sensational triple save, first denying Frenkie de Jong from Raphinha’s pinpoint cross, then thwarting Robert Lewandowski from point-blank range, and finally stopping Lamine Yamal’s follow-up effort. Lewandowski, in particular, will wonder how he failed to convert a chance he’d typically bury with ease.
The visitors’ fortunes took a turn for the worse on 22 minutes when Pau Cubarsí was sent off for a last-man foul on Vangelis Pavlidis. Szczesny stood tall to repel Orkun Kokcu’s free kick and then denied Aktürko?lu’s header, keeping Barcelona in the contest despite their numerical disadvantage. Benfica pressed hard, but Álvaro Carreras’ last-ditch intervention prevented Yamal from tapping in just before the break.
Unlike their previous meeting 43 days ago—a chaotic 5-4 Barcelona win in the league phase—this encounter was a tense, low-scoring affair defined by the brilliance of both goalkeepers. Szczesny continued his heroics after the interval, parrying efforts from Pavlidis and Fredrik Aursnes to keep Benfica at bay.
The decisive moment arrived on the hour mark. Raphinha, ever a livewire, intercepted a loose ball from Antonio Silva, surged forward, and unleashed a venomous left-footed strike from outside the box that flew past Trubin into the bottom corner. It was a goal worthy of winning any match, and it handed Barcelona a precious lead.
Benfica boss Bruno Lage threw on attacking substitutes—Joao Rego, Renato Sanches, Arthur Cabral, and Andrea Belotti—in a desperate bid for an equalizer. Belotti thought he’d earned a penalty with less than ten minutes remaining after a collision with Szczesny, but VAR ruled him offside in the buildup. Rego, Sanches, and Cabral all went close as Benfica laid siege to Barcelona’s goal, but the ten-man visitors held firm.
For Barcelona, this was a victory forged in adversity, proving they can grind out results as well as dazzle. Raphinha’s moment of magic gives them a slim advantage to take back to the Camp Nou, while Benfica will rue their inability to capitalize on their dominance. The tie remains finely balanced ahead of the second leg, but Flick’s men will draw confidence from a hard-fought triumph in Lisbon.
*Reported by ThePoise NG*
