Six days after their first game against Benfica, Barcelona came back to finish the job and secure a promotion to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. They came out of the exciting match at the Estadi Olimpic with three goals and some impressive plays to their name.
From the very beginning, the game belonged to Barca. The Catalan team showed that they came not only to win, but to win by a great margin. They consistently pushed Benfica, not letting up even for a moment. The strategy paid off in the 11th minute, when Raphinha scored the opening goal. His success wouldn’t have been possible without an impressive assist from the young Lamine Yamal.
The fans’ happiness didn’t last for long. Only a minute later Nicolas Otamendi took full advantage of a corner kick awarded to his team and equalized the score. This brought the aggregated tally to 2:1 to Barca’s advantage.
After a short drink break, the teams returned to the pitch. Once again, Barcelona showed its upper hand, dominating the field. The game was being played mostly at Benfica’s goal. Soon enough, Lamine Yamal managed to shake off the Portuguese defenders and put Barca back in the lead with an impressive kick.
The Catalan team didn’t intend to slow down. They consistently defended Benfica’s attacks, never letting its players too close to their goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczęsny. Before the first half ended, they managed to score their third goal of the match. Once again, it was Raphinha whose name sounded off around the stadium.
The rest of the match wasn’t quite as eventful as its first minutes. Having secured a good lead over their opponents, Barcelona eased off, giving Benfica some more room to play.
Both teams added some shots to their count, but none resulted in a goal. Benfica managed to put the ball in Szczęsny’s net one more time, but the goal was offside and did not count. Barcelona had the chance to increase their advantage after Ferran Torres was fouled right by Benfica’s penalty box. He tried to score a direct free kick but missed, sending the ball over the bar.
The game did more than just let the team advance to the next round. The match against Benfica helped a few of Barca’s players set records and improve personal scores.
Having added two goals to his Champions League tally, Raphinha became the top goalscorer of the season. He jumped in front of both his teammate, Robert Lewandowski, and Borussia’s Serhou Guirassy.
At 17 years and 241 days, Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to score a goal and provide an assist in one Champions League game. His impressive performance earned him a round of applause from Barcelona’s fans towards the end of the game.
Ever since Szczęsny joined Barcelona, the team hasn’t lost a game. After a match against Benfica, that impressive streak remains unbroken. Could he be the team’s lucky charm?
Barcelona was the first team to reach the quarterfinals. Depending on the result of tomorrow’s game, they will face either Dortmund or Lille next. After their form in the last two Champions League games, whoever their opponents end up being, they should be prepared for an exciting evening.
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