FC Barcelona won the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after beating Benfica 1-0 at the Estadio Da Luz in Lisbon thanks to a goal scored by Raphinha in the second half. Hansi Flick’s side went down a man due to the red card received by Pau Cubarsi in the 22nd minute of the match, but they held on in the end.
It was an exciting first half full of action as both Benfica and FC Barcelona had some big chances to score the opening goal, but Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was on fire and made some big saves that prevented the home side from finding the net. Szczesny made eight saves against Benfica, the best of any FC Barcelona goalkeeper without conceding a goal in a single game since at least the 2003-04 season.
In the second half, the away team managed to score with Raphinha, who scored his ninth Champions League goal in nine games. Benfica tried to equalize in the remaining part of the tie and also had a big chance as the referee conceded a penalty for a foul of the same Szczesny on Italian striker Andrea Belotti, but it was then overturned due to offside.
The two sides will meet again on Tuesday in Barcelona where Flick’s team will have the chance to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will meet the winning side of Lille vs. Borussia Dortmund. Here’s a look at the major moments from Wednesday’s game.
The early red card
Cubarsi received a straight red card in the first half after 22 minutes and left his team down to 10 as Flick was forced to replace Spanish striker Dani Olmo to add Ronald Araujo in the defensive for the remaining part of the first leg played in Lisbon.
Moment of the game
It was another exciting night for Brazilian winger Raphinha, getting his 24th goal in all the competitions so far, marking again his importance for this team in what is probably going to be his best season since he joined the club from Leeds United in the summer of 2022.
What does it mean for the second leg?
This was definitely a big win for FC Barcelona as the away side managed to win away from home, and they can now look at the home game next week in a much more positive way. FC Barcelona are now one step away from playing the quarterfinals, and their path to the Champions League final is looking quite good after this win.
Read the full article here
