Raphinha’s late goal seals Barcelona’s epic 5-4 comeback win over Benfica

Raphinha’s stoppage-time heroics secured Barcelona a thrilling 5-4 comeback victory against Benfica, clinching their spot in the Champions League last 16. The match saw a hat-trick from Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis, who gave the hosts a two-goal lead by halftime.

The action kicked off early, with Greek striker Pavlidis scoring just two minutes in. Barcelona quickly responded as Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty in the 11th minute, awarded by VAR after Tomas Araujo fouled Alejandro Balde.

Pavlidis then capitalized on a mistake by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who left his net open, allowing Pavlidis to score again. He completed his hat-trick with another penalty after Szczesny fouled Kerem Akturkoglu.

Barcelona started their comeback in the 64th minute when a poor clearance from Benfica’s keeper Anatoliy Trubin bounced off Raphinha’s head and into the net. Despite this, Benfica extended their lead four minutes later through Ronald Araujo’s own goal. Lewandowski’s second penalty of the night in the 78th minute brought Barcelona closer.

Substitute Eric Garcia equalized with a powerful header from a Pedri cross just three minutes from time. The game reached its climax in stoppage time when a counter-attack led to Raphinha scoring the decisive goal, leaving the home crowd stunned. Despite Benfica’s appeals for a penalty in the dying moments, the referee waved play on, and Ferran Torres set up Raphinha for the dramatic winner.

Barcelona’s victory ensures their progression to the Champions League knockout stages. Meanwhile, they will now shift their focus back to La Liga.

In another Champions League match, Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Julian Alvarez’s second-half brace overturned Piero Hincapie’s opener despite Atletico playing with ten men for over an hour after Pablo Barrios received a red card for a dangerous tackle.