UCL: Raphinha's Brace, Yamal's Stunner Guide Barcelona To Champions League Quarter-Finals After Beating Benfica 3-1

UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing UEFA Champions League with a 4-1 aggregate against Benfica. In the second leg at the Olympic Stadium on March 11, Raphinha's brace and Lamine Yamal's lone goal helped Barcelona cruise past Benfica by 3-1. Previously, in the first leg, the Catalans clinched a 1-0 win over the Portuguese club.

The first half has been a goal fest for the fans to watch, with Yamal, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski leading the Blaugrana's attack.

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Barcelona Dominated First Half Against Benfica

Left-back Alejandro Balde started Barcelona's attack as he came to the front and tried a stunner from inside the box in the eighth minute. He was unlucky, as it just went above the bar. But the hosts didn't have to wait longer to draw the first blood. In the 11th minute, Yamal showed class and dribbled past inside the box and kept a curling pass to Rapinha, who ran inside the box from the left and chipped the ball into the goal, giving Barcelona an early lead.

However, Benfica made a solid comeback after conceding first. In the 13th minute, defender Nicolas Otamendi scored from a fiery header and levelled the scoreline to 1-1. Hansi Flick's Barcelona kept searching for another goal and went inside the opponent's box by playing small passes. In the 27th minute, Yamal showed sheer briliance by placing a left-footed curling stunner from outside the box, which went straight into the top left corner of the goal. Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin stayed helpless, unable to save the ball.

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Raphinha doubled the lead from a stunning counterattack in the 42nd minute of the first half. Balde started a quick run from the middle and placed it on his left where the Brazilian attacker received the ball and tried a left-footed grounder, which went straight into the back of the net, beating Trubin. The first half ended in 3-1.

In the second half, Barcelona kept attacking in search of their fourth goal of the game but failed to keep it on target, while Benfica went full in search of making a comeback. The second half went goalless, and as the referee blew the final whistle, Barcelona advanced to the next knockout round of the prestigious league.

My teammates make things much easier for me: Yamal

Speaking after the match, Yamal praised his teammates and said that they made it easier for him.

“My teammates make things much easier for me. It was a good goal but sometimes these things come off and sometimes they don’t. For the assist, I tried to shoot and Raphinha turned it into a goal,” Yamal said as quoted by AP.