Ten males Thanks to Raphinha’s incredible goal in the second half, Barcelona defeated Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 matchup.
Barcelona will have a significant lead going into the second leg next week thanks to the outcome, and Benfica will have a difficult time winning because the Spanish powerhouses will also be enjoying home advantage.
The first half got off to a quick start, with both goalkeepers put to the test early on, including Anatoliy Trubin’s incredible triple save. However, Pau Cubarsi’s red card after just 22 minutes caused the tempo to drastically slow down as Barcelona retreated deeper and Benfica tried to take advantage of their man advantage, but neither team was able to break the tie as the scores remained tied heading into half time.
The visitors scored the game’s lone goal when Raphinha struck a long-range shot into the bottom right corner to give the Blaugrana the victory. Benfica controlled the second half, holding Barcelona in their own half for extended periods of time and forcing Wojciech Szczesny to make several crucial saves.
It was far from a Barcelona classic because of the early red card, as Benfica managed to control the ball, holding 52% of the game overall and 65% of it in the second half.
However, the defensive tenacity displayed by his team will impress Hansi Flick. The Blaugrana were able to deny Benfica many significant chances to score goals, and their ability to counterattack allowed them to secure an unlikely victory considering the early dismissal.
Although Barcelona had very few opportunities to score, they managed to make one attack count with Raphinha’s incredible long-range goal, making it difficult to evaluate the rest of their performance.
The manager of Benfica, Bruno Lage, will be very disappointed that his team was unable to take advantage of the man advantage. As a result, they will have a difficult time turning around a deficit in the second leg at Barcelona’s home field.
Barcelona has already suffered two heartbreaking losses this season, falling to the Blaugrana 5-4 in the league phase after holding leads of 3-1 and 4-2.
However, there are still some good things Lage can learn from the game because, had it not been for Szczesny’s heroics, they could have scored multiple goals on any other night.