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Raphinha Gives 10-man Barcelona 1-0 Win Over Benfica In Champions League

Barcelona struggle to narrow win despite teenage defender Pau Cubarsi being sent off midway through first half. Raphinha scored the only goal of the game to give Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg win at Benfica, despite the Catalan giants playing most the game with 10 men. Eighteen-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon on Wednesday with the score goalless. Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday. Barcelona have not won the competition since 2015 but are expected to go deep this season, after a draw which many consider favourable. Hansi Flick insisted before the game there was no such thing as an “easy” Champions League tie and the coach was proven right on a tense evening in the Portuguese capital. “I’m very proud,” the German coach said after his team emerged with a victory. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny endured two high-profile mistakes against Benfica in the league stage in January but made amends with a string of saves as Barca were pinned back in the final half-hour. Szczesny made a smart save to deny Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu after just a few seconds, and the opening stages were played in a way that indicated both sides were picking up where they left off in Barcelona’s wild 5-4 win in Lisbon. “The last time, I don’t think [Szczesny] left here very happy,” said Barca midfielder Pedri. “He saved a lot [tonight], one at the start where if they score you start the game on a bad footing – between the sticks he’s a big presence and it’s great to have him.” Dani Olmo fired narrowly wide at the other end as Barca threatened before Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin produced a stunning triple save to keep the score level. The Ukrainian first parried Dani Olmo’s prodded effort, then made a brilliant reaction stop to thwart Robert Lewandowski converting from point-blank range and mopped up Lamine Yamal’s attempt from the rebound. Barcelona were dealt a blow when 18-year-old centre-back Cubarsi was sent off after 22 minutes. The Spaniard scythed down Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored a hat-trick in the group match, as he ran through on goal. Szczesny saved Orkun Kokcu’s drive from the free-kick, with Flick sacrificing Olmo for defender Ronald Araujo to steady the ship. The Polish goalkeeper, brought out of retirement by Barcelona after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury in September, also made a fine reaction save to keep out Akturkoglu’s header before the break. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Flick’s Barca gave as good as they got at the Estadio da Luz. Szczesny made another good intervention to stop Pavlidis and keep Benfica at bay before Raphinha broke the deadlock. On the right flank, after Flick replaced Yamal early in the second half with Ferran Torres, Raphinha stole in to win the ball back high up and wallop a low, deflected effort home from distance. It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, with the forward in the form of his career. Barcelona defended frantically in the final stages as Benfica sought to level. The hosts thought they had won a penalty when Szczesny felled Andrea Belotti, but there was an offside in the build-up and Barcelona survived with their lead intact. “Today we knew how to defend,” added Pedri. “After the red, we knew exactly what to do, stay together at the back, defend as a block and take advantage of our chances with the players we have up front.” Elsewhere in the Champions League last 16, Bayern Munich defeated Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, and while Liverpool were second best all night, Harvey Elliott’s late goal secured them a 1-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain. In the early game on Wednesday, Lautaro Martinez scored to become Inter Milan’s all-time leading scorer in the Champions League in a 2-0 win for the Italian giants against Feyenoord. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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