Raphinha caps late Barcelona comeback to settle nine-goal thriller with Benfica

Raphinha scored deep into stoppage time handy Barcelona a dramatic 5-4 comeback win at Benfica and a spot within the final 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Vangelis Pavlidis’s hat-trick had given the hosts a two-goal half-time lead and so they had been 4-2 up with 12 minutes to play earlier than Hansi Flick’s aspect pulled out a sensational victory, sealed by the Brazilian with a end on the break, seconds after Benfica had appealed in useless for a late penalty.

The Greece striker Pavlidis opened the scoring on two minutes with a tap-in earlier than Robert Lewandowski equalised from the spot after VAR awarded Barça a penalty for a Tomás Araújo foul on Alejandro Balde within the eleventh minute. Pavlidis restored Benfica’s lead, capitalising on a poor choice to go away his space by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who left the ahead with an open purpose.

Pavlidis bagged his third purpose with a penalty after Szczesny continued his troublesome evening with a slipshod foul on Kerem Akturkoglu on the half-hour mark. It was 3-1 at half-time, however a weird blunder by Anatoliy Trubin let Barça again into the sport within the sixty fourth minute. The Benfica keeper’s clearance ricocheted off Raphinha’s head and looped into the online from 25 yards out.

Barcelona’s defensive misfortune continued, although, and Benfica restored their two-goal lead once more 4 minutes later because of an personal purpose from Ronald Araújo. The guests wouldn’t lie down, and Lewandowski scored his second purpose of the evening with one other medical penalty within the 78th minute.

Substitute Eric García then equalised with a towering header from a effective Pedri cross three minutes from time. Benfica pushed for a winner and sparked a melee within the Barça field, however an extended ball downfield discovered Raphinha who picked his spot to seize a unprecedented winner six minutes into added time.

“We knew it was going to be a troublesome sport. I understand how troublesome it’s to play right here in opposition to Benfica. They’ve gamers of the best stage,” former Sporting ahead Raphinha advised Movistar. “We didn’t let ourselves get carried away once we had been 3-1 down. It was a spectacular match for the spectators. Anybody may have gained.”

“It was a really loopy sport. Essentially the most optimistic factor was the mentality we had. We got here again and that’s great. That’s soccer and that’s why we like it,” Flick mentioned after the sport. “I don’t assume I’ve ever skilled a comeback like this. It’s unbelievable.

“We didn’t play so properly within the first half. They’re superb and scored first,” the Barcelona head coach added. “They made us defend very deep. We weren’t in the precise place. Within the second half we had been higher and substitutions helped us quite a bit.”