Topics: Barcelona, Champions League, Football, La Liga, Raphinha
Barcelona’s Raphinha has explained what happened as tempers boiled over after the La Liga side’s 5-4 win against Benfica on Tuesday evening.
Raphinha, 28, was the hero in Lisbon as he scored the winning goal in what can only be described as a thriller at the Estádio da Luz.
He captured the headlines for more than one reason – namely for scoring a ‘once in a lifetime’ goal to make the score 3-2 to Benfica on 64 minutes.
Anatoliy Trubin controlled the ball before launching clear while under pressure from Robert Lewandowski.
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The ball crashed off Raphinha’s head, who was standing just outside of the penalty area, before it looped into the goal.
Everyone in the stadium and watching around the world could hardly believe what they were seeing.
But the drama did not stop there. Four minutes later Ronaldo Araujo scored an own goal to put the home side 4-2 up and seemingly out of sight.
However, Hansi Flick’s side were awarded a penalty on 78 minutes, which Lewandowski finished with aplomb to register his second goal of the game.
With the scores at 4-3, both sides continued to press but it was the away team that equalised on 86 minutes when substitute Eric Garcia headed home Pedri’s floated cross into the penalty area.
And the entertainment continued right until the end of the game, late into second-half stoppage time Benfica’s players appealed for a penalty after it appeared that Fermin Lopez had pushed a Benfica player over in the box.
While the appeal was still going on, Barca quickly shifted the ball to Raphinha who calmly finished to secure Barca a 5-4 victory on 96 minutes.
After the goal tempers began to flare between both sides with Benfica’s Arthur Cabral sent off for protesting from the bench.
According to Movistar, a fight broke out between both sets of players in the tunnel after the match, with on-site police having to intervene.
It is claimed that they had to break Raphinha apart from the Benfica players, although this is unconfirmed.
Following the game, the Brazilian gave his thoughts.
“They insulted me at the end of the match, I insulted them back," he said.
“If they respect me, I respect them. In my opinion they could have understood the situation, but they preferred to insult me."
