Three talking points from Barcelona 3-1 Benfica
The Catalans are through to the quarter-finals
Barcelona produce a masterclass for Minarro
Barcelona came into Tuesday’s match with heavy hearts after losing Dr Minarro suddenly, unexpectedly and tragically on Saturday before their clash with Osasuna.
A sombre Hansi Flick told his pre-match press conference his team were ready for the game and “wanted to play” for Dr Minarro - and they certainly did themselves proud at Montjuic.
After an immaculately observed minutes’s silence for the doc, Barca went on to put an absolute show as they cruised past Benfica and secured a quarter-final spot.
I N M E M O R I A M pic.twitter.com/HnizfCr9yP
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 11, 2025
Lamine Yamal was unplayable, Raphinha continued his quest for the Ballon d’Or, while Pedri and Alejandro Balde also shone in a brilliant team display.
“I said before the match we wanted to honor the memory of Carles,” Flick said in the postgame news conference.
“After what happened, I think it’s good to win for him. Carles is always with us. It’s like that. He will always have a place in our team.”
Yamal and Raphinha are dynamite
Lamine Yamal was the star of the show with a lovely assist - even if he didn’t really mean it - and then a sensational goal. His goal record has been unfairly criticised by some this season, but he now has 12 for the season and 14 assists. It’s easy to forget sometimes he’s just 17 and still wearing braces on his teeth.
The teenager’s goal also saw him make even more history. He’s now the youngest player to ever score and assist in a Champions League match. That’s a record that may take some beating, too.
1 - At 17 years and 241 days, Lamine Yamal has become the youngest player to both score and assist in the same Champions League game, surpassing Breel Embolo's previous record for Basel against Ludogorets Razgrad in 2014 (17 years, 263 days). Diamond. pic.twitter.com/FMW90JBgy2
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 11, 2025
Raphinha was also starring for Barca, scoring two more goals to enhance his Ballon d’Or claims and take his tally to 27 for the season. All of this, after the weekend’s tragic news and despite an early hours trip to the hospital with a poorly child.
“We are candidates to win every competition,” he said afterwards. “We knew that Benfica would come here strong, but we knew what we had to do to win the game and focused on that.”
Either player could have scooped the MVP award but instead it went to Pedri, again.
And he perhaps summed up Barca’s deadly duo better than anyone after the game with a single word - “dynamite.”
Are Barca now Champions League favourites?
Barcelona’s impressive win came just hours before more Champions League drama as favourites Liverpool were knocked out on penalties by Ousmane Dembele and PSG.
The Reds had finished top of the group phase and been hailed as the best side in Europe by many this season but won’t be lifting the European Cup in Munich in May.
Paris beat Liverpool on penalties! Donnarumma saves two #UCL pic.twitter.com/ChnnJepnQX
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 11, 2025
There’s still plenty of quality teams left in the tournament but Barcelona may find themselves installed as favourites now.
Hansi Flick’s side go on to face Lille or Dortmund next and, on paper at least, are on the kinder half of the draw and can’t play the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico, or PSG until the final.
“It’s important to look at who we’ll be drawn against in the quarter-finals because the Champions League is an objective, yes, but it’s the most difficult trophy to win,” Flick said afterwards. “We hope we can achieve it.”
There’s still a long way to go of course but Barca are certainly contenders for the Champions League, and few teams will fancy taking on a team with the likes of Pedri, Yamal and Raphinha in this kind of form.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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