FC Barcelona played an amazing match against Benfica in the Champions League and won 5-4 after Raphinha's goal in the sixth minute of added time. And some of the most important figures on the pitch were Wojciech Szczêsny and Robert Lewandowski.
Watch the video The best saves by goalkeepers of the 22nd round of the Premier League
Wojciech Szczęsny and Robert Lewandowski assessed after the Benfica – FC Barcelona match in the Champions League
The goalkeeper had a very painful return to the elite competition – in the second minute he had to pull the ball out of the net, then he made a catastrophic mistake when reaching for the ball, and then he was awarded a penalty kick. As a result, his team lost 1:3. In the second part, the 34-year-old showed a better side and his teammates corrected his mistakes. Despite everything, Szczęsny could not count on the Spanish media's kindness.
“Disastrous. Flick gave him a chance in the Champions League at the expense of Inaki Peni, and a few seconds later the Pole conceded a goal after a shot from close range, which he could not do anything about. He started too riskily, during the second goal he did not communicate with Balde and gave away a penalty kick in the third. He avoided the winning goal at the end of the match in a one-on-one situation (with Angel di Maria – ed.),” said the Catalan. “Sport”, giving the Pole the lowest score in the team: 4 (on a scale of 1-10).
And what was written about Lewandowski, who scored two goals? “Goleador. He took two penalties without hesitation and alternated good play with his back to goal with unforced errors in some passes. Sometimes he slows down some attacks too much,” we read. He was rated 7, only Raphinha and Pedri (8) were better.
“Szczesny's error broke Barcelona in the phase of the match that the Catalan team controlled. It was the 23rd minute, a long ball behind the Barcelona defense and the Polish goalkeeper standing in front of him collided with Balde, who already had the ball. Pavlidis took the ball and scored a goal, as he liked it. A defeat for a goalkeeper who is not used to playing with such a high defense. […] Before the break, Benfica scored their third goal. Penalty kick after Szczęsny's entry into Aktuerkoglu, which flew over the goalkeeper, although it was difficult to see the contact,” Mundo Deportivo summed up the goalkeeper's performance.
See also: The whole world is writing about what Szczęsny did in the Champions League. “Pure Farce”
-“Even Szczęsny didn't make the evening of the great Barcelona bitter,” announced “Marca”, which does not spare the goalkeeper. “Flick decided to start Szczęsny in Lisbon, leaving Pena on the bench. It should be assumed that he will regret it, because the Pole was directly responsible for two goals for the Portuguese. Firstly, the start was terrible, during which he not only failed to clear the ball, but he was close to damaging Balde, whom he kicked hard with his knee at the beginning. A few minutes later, after another surprising exit, he caused a penalty, which became Benfica's third goal,” we read.
Robert Lewandowski praised and Wojciech Szczęsny criticized in Spain
“They say that what works should not be changed and Flick broke this rule. There was no reason to bench Inaki Pena, but the German promoted the change. Bad decision. The Pole did not answer him. Although it is true that the Pole performed a great intervention in a one-on-one situation with di Maria,” it added.
Lewandowski was also mentioned, and he has reasons to be satisfied. “Thanks to the two goals scored on Tuesday, he already has more goals to his name than in the entire previous season. In both cases, penalties were scored, the first one was similar to the previous one, which he scored (against Real in the Spanish Super Cup – ed.). In the second one, he scored, without stopping,” it was emphasized.
“Lewandowski took responsibility and did not disappoint” – this is what the website lesportiudecatalunya.cat wrote about the striker's first goal. The second goal “brought Barcelona back into the game”, from which Szczęsny's mistakes could have excluded them.
“When Barcelona were giving their all, a bucket of cold water appeared. […] An accidental play and a monumental mistake by the Polish goalkeeper, who was scored again, resulting in a penalty kick due to a foul committed on Akturkoglu. […] The first 45 minutes of the match ended with two unforgivable gifts from Szczęsny. Despite this, the Catalans reversed the result in the second part.
Thanks to the victory over Benfica, FC Barcelona has 18 points and moved to second place in the league stage table, at the same time ensuring direct advancement to the 1/8 finals. In the last series of games, it will face Atalanta (January 29).
