UCL: Raphinha Strike Gives 10-Man Barcelona Narrow Win Over Benfica

Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, despite being reduced to 10 men.

Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, despite being reduced to 10 men. The win came courtesy of a solitary goal from Raphinha at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

Benfica almost made a blistering start, capitalizing on Barcelona's sloppy kickoff play. Kerem Aktürkoğlu received the ball and unleashed a first-time effort, but Wojciech Szczesny reacted swiftly to tip the shot around the post just 18 seconds into the game. The hosts continued their early pressure, with Leandro Barreiro's half-volley on the turn sailing over the bar a minute later. However, Hansi Flick's side gradually gained composure and began to assert themselves in the match.

Barcelona started to create scoring opportunities, with Dani Olmo firing a shot wide from the edge of the box. They then came agonizingly close to taking the lead in the 12th minute, as Raphinha's delivery picked out Frenkie De Jong, only for Anatoliy Trubin to produce a stunning save and deny the Barcelona captain.

The rebound from Trubin's initial save fell to Robert Lewandowski, who surprisingly failed to capitalize on the opportunity from just six yards out. Trubin once again came to Benfica's rescue, making a remarkable 'hat-trick' of saves in quick succession, including a denial of Lamine Yamal.

Barcelona's fortunes took a turn for the worse 10 minutes later, as Pau Cubarsí received a red card for bringing down Vangelis Pavlidis, who was bearing down on goal. The resulting free kick from Orkun Kokcu was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, who also denied Kerem Aktürkoğlu's close-range header. As the first half drew to a close, Barcelona were relying on luck to stay in the game, but Álvaro Carreras' timely intervention prevented Yamal from scoring in first-half stoppage time.

The match was a stark contrast to the nine-goal thriller between the two teams just 43 days ago in the league stage. On this occasion, both goalkeepers were in exceptional form, with Szczesny repelling early second-half efforts from Pavlidis and Fredrik Aursnes. However, Trubin was powerless to stop Raphinha's strike on the hour mark. Raphinha dispossessed Antonio Silva, carried the ball forward, and drilled a low, hard left-footed shot into the bottom corner from outside the area, giving Barcelona a crucial lead.

Raphinha gives Barcelona a first-leg lead ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/LNdCKY3KD4

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 5, 2025

In a bid to equalize, Bruno Lage deployed his attacking substitutes, and one of them, Andrea Belotti, believed he had won a penalty with less than 10 minutes remaining. However, upon VAR review, it was determined that Belotti had strayed offside in the buildup, negating the penalty claim.

Pedri was everywhere 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/W2LGKxfqM4

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 5, 2025

Despite this setback, Benfica's substitutes continued to push for an equalizer. Joao Rego, Renato Sanches, and Arthur Cabral all came close to scoring, but ultimately, the visitors' defense held firm. The match ended with Benfica on the front foot, but Barcelona's 10 men demonstrated their ability to grind out a result, securing a slender advantage ahead of the second leg.