Raphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and ensure direct qualification to the last 16. Benfica were leading 4-2 with under 15 minutes remaining but Barcelona mounted a stunning late comeback to stay three points behind leaders Liverpool. Vangelis Pavlidis hit a first-half hat-trick for the hosts, in part thanks to two big errors by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
However a Robert Lewandowski double from the penalty spot, Eric Garcia's header and a brace for Raphinha helped Barcelona claim a stunning last-gasp triumph in Lisbon. "It was a crazy game..
. Benfica did well in the first half but we made a lot of mistakes," said Barcelona coach Flick. Barca showed grit to keep fighting after going in 3-1 down at half-time and swiftly conceding again after Raphinha pulled one back.
"The mentality of the team, they always believe in themselves and this was unbelievable to see," said Flick. "In the second half we created more chances than them and we deserved it." Benfica opened the scoring in the second minute, when Pavlidis escaped Pau Cubarsi and fired home from Alvaro Carreras' low cross.
Barcelona responded swiftly with Lewandowski scoring from the penalty spot after Alejandro Balde was brought down by Benfica defender Tomas Araujo. The hosts nosed back ahead through a stroke of luck, when Szczesny raced out of his goal to try and cut out a through-ball, but crashed into Balde. Greece .