LIVERPOOL, England — Barcelona’s remarkable comeback against Benfica on Tuesday forces Liverpool to wait another week to secure their position as winners of the group stage of the revamped Champions League.
Barcelona coach Arne Slot has expressed his admiration for referee Danny Makkelie, particularly for the added time allowed in the thrilling 5-4 victory.
“Let’s start with praise for the referee in Lisbon,” said Slot. “Throughout my football career, I have often seen four minutes of injury time, followed by several minutes of delays, only to have the final whistle blown just then. But this referee allowed for the game to continue, which may not have favored us this time, but I appreciate such decisions.”
Liverpool secured their place in the last 16 with a 2-1 victory over Lille at Anfield. They looked set to progress as league leaders until Barcelona’s dramatic resurgence at the Estadio da Luz.
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-Benfica initially led the match with scores of 3-1 and 4-2, but were left stunned when Barcelona responded with goals from Eric Garcia and Raphinia in the 86th and 96th minutes respectively.
Despite this turnaround, Liverpool remain at the top of the table with a perfect run in this elite European competition this season.
Barcelona follow closely in second place, just three points behind.
Next week, Liverpool face PSV Eindhoven in their final group stage match, while Barcelona take on Atalanta.
