March 06, (THEWILL) – Barcelona claimed a narrow 1-0 victory against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz in their UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg encounter, despite playing with 10 men for much of the match. The Catalan side exhibited exceptional defensive discipline after Pau Cubarsí received a red card in the first half.
Benfica started brightly, with Kerem Aktürkoğlu testing Wojciech Szczesny within 18 seconds of kick-off. The Polish goalkeeper proved crucial throughout the match, making several important saves to deny the Portuguese team. His counterpart, Anatoliy Trubin, was equally impressive, producing a remarkable triple save to deny Frenkie De Jong, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal during a frantic first-half sequence.
The pivotal moment came on the hour mark when Raphinha capitalised on a defensive error by Antonio Silva. The Brazilian winger dispossessed the Benfica defender before driving forward and firing a powerful left-footed shot into the bottom corner from outside the penalty area, giving Barcelona maximum points.
Bruno Lage introduced multiple attacking options from the bench in pursuit of an equaliser. Andrea Belotti thought he had won a penalty after being brought down by Szczesny, but VAR confirmed the Italian striker was offside in the build-up. Joao Rego, Renato Sanches, and Arthur Cabral all came close to scoring late in the match.
The return leg will take place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, with Hansi Flick’s team holding a slender advantage. Barcelona will need to maintain their defensive solidity for what promises to be another tightly contested European fixture between these two continental giants.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
