RAPHINHA STRIKES LATE TO WIN OUTRAGEOUS GAME
A goal from Raphinha in the sixth minute of injury time completed an incredible comeback to give Barcelona an improbable win in an unbelievable game.
In so doing, they assured their qualification for the last 16; Benfica still have a good chance of making the knockout playoffs.
Benfica took the lead on two minutes, Vangelis Pavlidis finishing adroitly. And though Robert Lewandowski soon equalised, with half an hour gone Pavlidis had a hat-trick, finishing from close range after a dreadful error by Wojciech Szczesny, then converting a penalty after an unnecessary foul by the same man.
The second half featured more of the same: frantic attacking, desperate defending and breathless tempo. Barcelona halved the deficit in slapstick manner, Anatoliy Trubin’s goalkick cracking Raphinha in the head and flying back past him on 64 minutes.
-But it was not 3-2 for long, Rolando Araujo’s own goal restoring Benfica’s two-goal advantage on 68. It was clear that the scoring was not finished, but quite how not finished was still shocking.
On 78 minutes, Lewandowski converted another penalty following a needless foul on Lamine Yamal. Then, on 86, Eric Garcia headed home Pedri’s teasing cross for 4-4.
And then, as Benfica pressed frantically for a winner, appealing for two penalties in the melee following a free-kick – VAR denied what looked two good shouts – one pass from Ferran Torres sent Raphinha in on goal. He finished calmly to spark wild celebrations at the end of a minor classic.
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