Raphinha’s lone goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 win for Barcelona against Benfica in their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash, despite playing over an hour with 10 men.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsí was sent off in the 22nd minute after bringing down Vangelis Pavlidis, forcing Barcelona to defend resolutely in Lisbon. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny delivered a stellar performance, making crucial saves to deny Benfica multiple times.
Despite being a man down, Barcelona found their breakthrough in the 61st minute when Raphinha capitalized on a loose ball, drilling a deflected shot past Anatoliy Trubin. It marked the Brazilian’s ninth goal in as many Champions League appearances.
Benfica pushed for an equalizer, but Barcelona held firm, surviving a late penalty scare when Andrea Belotti was fouled, only for VAR to rule an offside in the buildup.
Barcelona, aiming for their first Champions League title since 2015, take a slender advantage into next week’s second leg at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
Elsewhere in the Champions League, Bayern Munich dominated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, Liverpool snatched a last-minute 1-0 win over PSG, and Inter Milan defeated Feyenoord 2-0 as Lautaro Martínez became the club’s all-time top scorer in the competition.
