Barcelona produced a remarkable fightback to edge Benfica 5-4 in a dramatic Champions League clash, securing their spot in the last 16 with an 18-point tally.
The Spanish giants trailed twice by two goals, with Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis scoring a first-half hat-trick, capitalizing on two costly errors from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Robert Lewandowski responded from the penalty spot, but an own goal by Ronald Araujo left Barca chasing the game at 4-3.
Eric Garcia’s late header leveled the score, and in the dying moments, Raphinha sealed the comeback with a composed finish past Anatoliy Trubin after Benfica were denied a penalty.
Benfica initially stormed ahead when Alvaro Carreras set up Pavlidis for an early opener.
Lewandowski equalized from the spot, but Szczesny’s misjudged rushes off his line gifted the hosts two more goals.
Barcelona clawed back with Raphinha scoring in bizarre fashion after blocking Trubin’s clearance, followed by Lewandowski’s second penalty conversion to set up a tense finale.
The dramatic win leaves Benfica stunned, while Barcelona march into the knockout rounds in sensational style.
