Yamal, Raphinha star as Barca breeze into last eight
Teenager, Lamine Yamal, was once again the star of the show as Barcelona beat Benfica to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The 17-year-old provided a brilliant assist for Raphinha to open the scoring before topping that with a stunning strike to put Barca 2-1 ahead on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
Nicolas Otamendi’s excellent header had cancelled out Raphinha’s opener but Benfica’s hopes were ended by Yamal’s brilliance, before Raphinha struck again with
a clinical finish into the bottom corner.
There was confusion over whether Raphinha’s second initially stood, as play appeared to be pulled back for a foul by Otamendi on the edge of the box.
But after a check by the video assistant referee (VAR) the goal was confirmed, and Otamendi’s yellow card rescinded.
While Yamal caught the eye with his brilliant pieces of play, Raphinha also deserves plaudits as his double means he has contributed to 16 goals in the Champions League
this season.
Only Lionel Messi (14 goals, five assists in 2011-12) has had a hand in more goals in a single season for Barcelona in the competition than Raphinha this season (11 goals, five assists).
Barca could have won by an even bigger margin but Frenkie de Jong missed a golden chance to add a fourth on the night, firing wide from close range after a lovely move.
Hansi Flick’s side will face Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarter-finals. —BBC
