After the mid-season hiatus, the Uefa Champions League resumed with many exciting fixtures. The Benfica vs Barcelona game lived up to the hype as the game was an absolute delirium. The host were looking for a win to boost their chances of qualifying for the next round.
Benfica had only won three games so far in the UCL this season and desperately needed a win to progress to the next round while their opponent was on a mission to finish top of the log. Previous encounters between the Portuguese and Spanish clubs have been electric and fans enjoyed such a predictable atmosphere once again.
Benfica vs Barcelona Match Review
The game was played at the Estadio da Luz ground in Lisbon and the stadium was filled. Benfica were well prepared for the game and showed their readiness from the blast of the opening whistle.
Vangelis Pavlidis set the tone for the match when he scored the opening goal in the second minute. The Greek International teamed up excellently with Carreras to register the night’s first goal, which sent the home fans into a wild celebration very early in the match.
But their celebration was cut shot 10 minutes later when Balde was brought down in the Benfica box. Lewandowski stepped to take the penalty which he calmly converted by sending the goalkeeper to the wrong way.
After the goal, Barcelona looked like the dominant team as they pressed on their host relentlessly and looked to take the lead. They created some clear-cut chances but failed to convert any. Benfica defended well, regained their rhythm and pushed to restore their one-goal lead.
In the 22nd minute, the host were rewarded for their resilience after a goalkeeping howler by Sczcesny. The Barcelona shot-stopper mistimed his run by running out of the box to collide with his defender.
The collision left both teammates writhing in pain on the floor while the Benfica striker was set free on goal to restore the lead for the host. Things got even better for the home team when they were awarded a penalty on the half-hour mark.
Again, Pavlidis who has been a handful for the Catalan defence all night stepped up to complete his hat-trick. The Greek looked set to be the man of the match and the game appeared to be heading the way of the home team after an amazing display in the first half.
The second half began with Hans Flick sending in Franke De Jong in place of Marc Cassado. The German tactician thought Franke’s wealth of experience would be vital to orchestrate a comeback.
Femin Lopez was also sent in to replace Gavi and two minutes after the double substitutions, Barcelona found the back of the net through Lewandowski. The game increased in intensity as both teams continued to create chances.
Barcelona pressed high on the pitch in search of an equalizer but was wasteful in front of the goal. Lamine Yamal had a horrible game as the young star failed to convert his chances. The Spanish side continued to search for a leveller but was left heartbroken when the host restored their two-goal lead.
Ronald Araujo who has had a busy night scored an own goal to give the home fans something to cheer about. With the two-goal lead restored and the time tickling, Benfica appeared set to take all three points and improved the stance on the log.
But if any team is capable of a shocking comeback, Barcelona should be in such discussion. The Catalan team once produced a five-come comeback against PSG and fans hoped for a similar experience while the game played.
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Lewandowski got his second for the night through a penalty in the 78th minute and the Catalan fans began dreaming of a comeback. They went all out for an equalizer, firing at all cylinders, and in the 86th minute, they were rewarded for their hard work when Pedri assisted substitute Eric Garcia in netting the equalizer.
After the equalizer, both teams pushed for the winner in the dying minutes and Benfica were left devastated when the visitors left it very late to win the game through their Brazilian winger Raphinha.
The build-up to the goal created a nervy moment and the home team thought they were treated wrongly by the referee. The Benfica vs Barcelona match was intense and lived up to the expectations.
Controversy of the Match
The build-up to the last goal was controversial because Benfica thought the referee should have called a foul and awarded a penalty against Barcelona. The home team argued that Femin Lopez fouled a Benfica player who was through on goal.
But the referee and indeed most Barcelona fans thought otherwise. They thought the contact was not intense enough to warrant a foul and the call was correct.
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Players with High Performance
Vangelis Pavlidis (8.5): The Greek was a thorn in the flesh of the Barcelona defence all night. His sense of positioning and timely runs made it difficult for him to be contained by the Barcelona defense. He is surely the man of the match for the Benfica team
Raphinh (8): The Brazilian was tireless and relentless with his pressing. He pulled the right strings all through the game and was rewarded for his immense effort when he netted the winner to the dismay of the home team.
Lewandowski (7): The Prolific Polish striker had an amazing game for a 36-year-old. He kept his cool to convert two penalties in such a terrifying atmosphere. Apart from a few poor decisions, the striker had an amazing game.
Players who Performed Poorly
Sczcesny (5): The Barcelona stopper made some wrong decisions during the game. His decision to run out of his goal in the build-up to the Benfica’s second goal was unwise.
He should have known better and improved his decision-making given the fact he committed a similar mistake a few weeks ago in the Super Cup final against Real Madrid. That mistake cost him a red card but sadly, he never learnt from that incident
Lamine Yamal (5): The Barcelona young star had perhaps his worst game this season. Yamal who has turned up positively in big games and and was expected to be the show star, but surprisingly, the prodigy was nowhere to be found.
He put in a performance that was far below his level and expectations. Fans would hope he put the Benfica vs Barcelona game behind him and return to his best.