Barcelona advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over Benfica, securing a 4-1 aggregate win. Raphinha shone with two goals, while Lamine Yamal scored a spectacular strike, demonstrating the team’s attacking prowess. Despite an early equalizer from Nicolas Otamendi, Barcelona dominated the match and produced moments of brilliance. Coach Hansi Flick noted the team’s motivation following the recent passing of club doctor Carles Minarro. Raphinha’s confidence was evident as he expressed the team’s ambition for a potential treble. Next, Barcelona will face either Borussia Dortmund or Lille, while Benfica shifts focus to the Portuguese league.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha shone brightly as Barcelona defeated Benfica 3-1 on Tuesday, securing their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate score. Raphinha scored twice, sandwiching a brilliant goal from Yamal, as the Catalans controlled the first half, building on their 1-0 victory in the first leg of the round of 16 in Lisbon. Nicolas Otamendi quickly equalized following Raphinha’s opener, but Barcelona overwhelmed their opponents at the Olympic Stadium, showcasing moments of exceptional attacking football.
Hansi Flick’s team is set to clash with Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarter-finals, as they strive to reclaim the title for the first time since 2015, a period that included greats like Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez.
“We’re contenders for everything,” Raphinha expressed to Movistar, as the club eyes a potential treble.
Barcelona remain unbeaten across 17 matches in 2025.
“It’s positive that the players are thinking about winning it all; it reflects their confidence and belief in their actions, but I must remain calm,” Flick stated.
Flick mentioned that they would be playing for former club doctor Carles Minarro, who passed away unexpectedly on Saturday ahead of their match against Osasuna, which was postponed, and the players honored him with a moment of silence prior to kick-off.
“The circumstances motivated us to approach this match with greater determination to win,” Raphinha remarked.
“We played for ourselves, and Carles will always be with us… he will always have a place here,” Flick added.
Barcelona, the five-time Champions League champions, took the lead after 11 minutes when Yamal, a Spanish international, burst into the box, navigated around Florentino, and misplayed the ball to Raphinha for an easy goal.
Benfica equalized just two minutes later when Otamendi freed himself from Ronald Araujo to score a header from a corner.
Barcelona’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had been outstanding in the first leg, helping the Catalans to a remarkable win despite playing with ten men after Pau Cubarsi’s red card, but he could have done better with Otamendi’s goal.
Despite this, Barcelona, especially their wingers Yamal and Raphinha, were sensational and quickly regained their lead.
‘Dynamite’
Yamal scored his first goal in seven matches, and it was well worth the wait, as the 17-year-old cut in from the right and unleashed a spectacular shot past Anatoliy Trubin into the far corner from the edge of the box.
“His goal was incredible; it reflects Lamine’s qualities as a spectacular player with incredible talent,” Raphinha commented.
Raphinha added his second before half-time, extending Barcelona’s aggregate lead to three goals after a rapid counter-attack led by Alejandro Balde.
The left-back reclaimed possession in his own area and swiftly launched an attack, advancing to the edge of Benfica’s box before setting up Raphinha.
This marked Raphinha’s 11th goal in the competition, placing him at the top of the scoring charts, and he has accumulated 27 goals across all competitions after netting 10 in each of his first two seasons following his move from Leeds United.
“We’ve got dynamite upfront, and we need to utilize it,” Barca midfielder Pedri said.
Bruno Lage’s team missed injured veteran Angel Di Maria, but even with his presence, defeating Flick’s Barcelona in this form would have been a tall order.
Fredrik Aursnes did find the net for Benfica in the second half, but the goal was ruled out for offside against Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored a hat-trick in their first encounter this season, a 5-4 victory for Barca in the league stage in January.
For the most part, Benfica struggled to trouble Szczesny, whereas Barcelona nearly scored a fourth when Frenkie de Jong missed a chance at the end of a brisk team move.
Barcelona is now set to await their quarter-final opponent and can begin preparations for their La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, a crucial matchup in the Spanish title race.
Benfica will redirect their focus to the Portuguese top division, where they are currently second behind Sporting Lisbon.
“We are left feeling frustrated; we could have performed better in both matches,” Lage commented to SportTV.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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