Featured Image Credit: TNT Sports
Topics: Barcelona, Champions League, Raphinha, Benfica, Robert Lewandowski
Luke Davies
Topics: Barcelona, Champions League, Raphinha, Benfica, Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona’s Raphinha scored one of the strangest goals you will ever see in the club’s Champions League tie against Benfica on Tuesday evening.
Raphinha, 28, scored Barca’s second goal of the evening to reduce the deficit to 3-2 at the Estadio da Luz.
Earlier in the game, Wojciech Szczęsny gifted the home side a goal after a comical error. The Polish ‘keeper had a nightmare when he tried to clear a lofted through ball by Benfica defender Nicolas Otamendi.
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However, Barcelona’s Alex Balde got to the ball first before he was wiped out by Szczesny before the loose ball fell to Vangelis Pavlidis who tapped into the vacant net.
And just when you thought things could not get any stranger, on 64 minutes Benfica’s ‘keeper came up with an error of his own when he received the ball in the penalty area.
Like most goalies do, Anatoliy Trubin controlled the ball before launching clear while under pressure from Robert Lewandowski.
However in a bizarre turn of events the ball crashed off Raphinha’s head, who was standing just outside of the penalty area, before the ball looped into the goal.
The game got even crazier just four minutes later when Barca captain Ronald Araujo scored an own goal.
Then, almost fittingly, Benfica conceded a penalty on 78 minutes, which Lewandowski dispatched with ease to double his tally for the evening. If a game summed up Barcelona's season so far, this was it.
The La Liga outfit even scored an 86th minute equaliser when Eric Garcia headed home to draw the scores level at 4-4.
Then in second-half stoppage time Raphinha put his side 5-4 up with an astute finish to break Benfica hearts and hand the Catalan side a victory in what was quite simply one of the best games of football you will ever see. Even after the winner was scored, the referee was still checking a potential penalty claim for Benfica at the other end to no avail for the home side.
The victory saw Barcelona secure an automatic qualification spot in the round of 16.
Fans on social media gave their thoughts on the entertaining match.
One said: "Actually the craziest goal I've ever seen."
Another, who appeared to be a Chelsea fan, added: "Trust me Sanchez will do this at some point."
While a third explained: "A crazy deflection off Raphinha's head, but hey, a goal’s a goal."
A fourth commented: "That was the craziest football game I've ever seen in my life. I'm off for lie down boys, absolutely shattered!"