Controversial Raphinha winner seals nine-goal thriller for Barca at Benfica

Benfica are denied a punishment successful the build-up to an injury-time victor for Barcelona successful the Champions League.

Raphinha struck a melodramatic victor successful stoppage clip arsenic Barcelona came from down to bushed Benfica 5-4 successful a chaotic lucifer and virtually guarantee nonstop qualification to the Champions League past 16.

The location broadside believed they should person had a punishment successful the build-up to the precocious onslaught by Barca aft Leandro Barreiro appeared to beryllium shoved successful the backmost by Ferran Torres successful the box. VAR looked astatine the appeal, delaying the celebrations for what would beryllium the winning goal, but elected not to inquire the referee to instrumentality a 2nd look astatine his decision.

Benfica were starring 4-2 with nether 15 minutes remaining successful the crippled connected Tuesday but Barcelona mounted a stunning precocious comeback to enactment 3 points down leaders Liverpool.

Vangelis Pavlidis deed a first-half hat-trick for the hosts, successful portion acknowledgment to 2 large errors by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

However, a Robert Lewandowski treble from the punishment spot, an Eric Garcia’s header and a brace for Raphinha helped Barcelona assertion a stunning precocious triumph successful Lisbon.

Barcelona’s Raphinha scores their 5th extremity [Rodrigo Antunes/Reuters]

Benfica opened the scoring successful the 2nd minute, erstwhile Pavlidis escaped Pau Cubarsi and fired location from Alvaro Carreras’s debased cross.

Barcelona responded swiftly with Lewandowski scoring from the punishment spot aft Alejandro Balde was brought down by Benfica defender Tomas Araujo.

The hosts nosed backmost up done a changeable of luck, erstwhile Szczesny raced retired of his extremity to effort and chopped retired a through-ball, but crashed into Balde.

Greece planetary Pavlidis gleefully collected the escaped shot and rolled his 2nd into the bare net.

Barcelona’s Wojciech Szczesny fouls Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu to concede a punishment [Rodrigo Antunes/Reuters]

Barcelona, who lured Szczesny retired of status to regenerate the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen successful October, soon fell further behind.

Pavlidis completed his half-hour hat-trick with a punishment aft different Szczesny mistake, with the goalkeeper flying successful to effort and dispossess Kerem Akturkoglu, but bringing him down.

Lamine Yamal and Raphinha missed bully chances earlier the interruption arsenic Barcelona pushed forward.

Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin saved from Jules Kounde, who should person scored, and Lewandowski could not crook location from Pedri’s unsafe shot crossed the look of goal.

Raphinha pulled 1 backmost for Barcelona successful bizarre manner arsenic a clearance by Trubin struck his caput connected the borderline of the country and flew backmost into the net.

However, Benfica soon struck again, with Ronald Araujo nudging past Szczesny into his ain nett arsenic helium tried to chopped retired a cross.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal looks dejected aft Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis scores the location side’s archetypal extremity [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

Barcelona kept pushing and Lewandowski converted different punishment aft Nicolas Otamendi brought down Yamal.

The Catalan giants, who past won the Champions League successful 2015, pulled level erstwhile substitute Garcia headed location from Pedri’s inviting cross.

Szczesny saved erstwhile Real Madrid prima Angel Di Maria’s debased changeable earlier Raphinha’s melodramatic winner.

With Benfica appealing for a penalty, Barcelona sprang a speedy breakaway and the Brazilian winger slotted location to extremity a blockbuster clash.

Benfica’s Nicolas Otamendi awaits with teammates arsenic VAR checks their punishment claims successful wounded clip [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies