Barcelona forward, Raphinha turned up in a stoppage time as Catalan giant came from behind to defeat Benfica 5-4 in a wild UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday night which ensure direct qualification of the club to the round of 16
Benfica were taking the lead by 4-2 with 15 minutes remains but Barcelona mounted a stunning late comeback spearheaded by Raphinha to stay three points behind leaders Liverpool.
Benfica star, Vangelis Pavlidis hit a first-half hat-trick for the hosts, with thanks to two big errors committed by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
However, Robert Lewandowski’s double from the penalty spot, Eric Garcia’s header and a brace for Raphinha helped Barcelona claim a stunning last-gasp triumph in Lisbon.
Raphinha told Movistar, “We knew how hard it would be here, in front of their fans, and they know how to play really well, they have top level players”.
“We didn’t let ourselves sink at 3-1 down, we were focussed on what we needed to do to try and change the game.
“It was a spectacular game for everyone. They could have won, or us, but we managed to take it.”
Advertisement