Barcelona Edges Benfica With Ten Men: Raphinha’s Heroics and Szczesny’s Wall Define Champions League Clash
Barcelona's Resilience Tested Early in Lisbon
Walk into any Champions League knockout game and you expect drama, but what Barcelona endured in Lisbon probably exceeded even the script writers’ wildest ideas. Just 22 minutes into the round-of-16 first leg against Benfica, the Catalan giants lost their teenage defender Pau Cubarsi to a straight red card for hauling down Vangelis Pavlidis—a tackle just outside the box, judged by the ref to snuff out a clear goal-scoring chance. Suddenly, Barça faced more than an hour of football a man down, away from home, in front of a Benfica crowd hungry for an upset.
Benfica, already energized by a raucous Estádio da Luz, saw their path cleared and poured forward. Shots rained in, but it was Wojciech Szczesny, Barcelona’s new custodian, who stood tall when the pressure peaked. Quick reactions denied Casper Tengstedt at close range, and a full-stretch dive pushed Florentino’s curling effort around the post just before the break. The hosts looked frustrated, squandering promising positions as desperation crept into their finishing.
Raphinha Strikes as Defensive Grit Pays Off
Most teams would crumble when pinned back with ten men, but Barcelona showed serious discipline. Xavi’s tactical switch shifted the approach from swagger to survival, plugging the gaps Benfica desperately tried to expose. Frenkie de Jong sat deep, dropping between makeshift center-backs as the visitors built a stubborn wall in front of their goalkeeper.
The turning point, though, wasn’t a classic counter or a set-piece—rather, a Benfica blunder. In the 61st minute, a misplaced horizontal pass from Nicolás Otamendi left his back line stretched and his keeper stranded. Raphinha, who’d been starved of service, sensed the panic, pounced, and intercepted, face to face with Trubin. The Brazilian’s shot took a nasty deflection off a scrambling defender, flying just out of Trubin’s reach and nestling into the bottom corner. Wild celebrations broke out on the Barcelona touchline—one shot, one goal, and a priceless lead.
Suddenly, Benfica found themselves stuck in reverse gear. Time and again they pressed—the ball pinged around Barcelona’s box in a game of pinball, but every cross seemed to meet a boot or a block. Ángel Di María’s floated effort narrowly missed the far post, and Petar Musa’s header forced yet another full-stretch save from Szczesny. The intensity never faded, but neither did Barcelona’s calmness. Youngster Héctor Fort, thrust into the second-half backline, showed composure beyond his years with a late goal-line clearance that had Barcelona’s away fans holding their heads in disbelief.
When the final whistle blew, Barcelona had not just survived—a man down and battered—they’d won, thanks to ruthlessness up front and nerves of steel at the back. Benfica, crippled by missed chances and defensive slips, now travel to Camp Nou needing at least two goals to stay alive. The stage is set for another wild night in Europe—but for now, it’s Barcelona leaving Portugal with the upper hand and a performance that will fuel belief.