Barcelona secured a thrilling 5-4 victory against Benfica on Tuesday, clinching a spot in the Champions League last 16 in dramatic fashion.
Raphinha’s stoppage-time strike completed an extraordinary comeback after Vangelis Pavlidis had propelled the hosts to a two-goal lead with a first-half hat trick.
The action began just two minutes in when Pavlidis pounced on a loose ball to tap home the opener.
Barcelona quickly responded, with Robert Lewandowski converting from the penalty spot in the 11th minute following a VAR-confirmed foul by Tomas Araujo on Alejandro Balde.
Benfica reclaimed the lead when Pavlidis capitalized on an error by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who left his goal unguarded.
The Greek forward then sealed his hat trick with a penalty after Szczesny fouled Kerem Akturkoglu in the box, leaving Barcelona trailing 3-1 at the half-hour mark.
In the second half, fortune turned for the visitors as Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s misjudged clearance rebounded off Raphinha’s head and into the net, cutting the deficit to 3-2 in the 64th minute.
But Barcelona’s defensive woes resurfaced when Ronald Araujo inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net, restoring Benfica’s two-goal advantage.
Lewandowski reignited the comeback with his second penalty of the night in the 78th minute.
Substitute Eric Garcia leveled the score in the 87th minute with a powerful header from a precise Pedri cross, setting the stage for Raphinha’s late heroics.
Six minutes into stoppage time, the Brazilian latched onto a counter-attack to deliver the decisive blow, silencing the home crowd and sealing Barcelona’s dramatic triumph.
