Three takeaways from Benfica 4-5 Barcelona | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

The game between Barcelona and Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night could not have been more bizarre than it turned out.

Nine goals were scored on the night, three of which were penalties. Two goals were created by glaring errors from the goalkeepers while one was an own goal.

Barcelona never looked to be on course to win the game against the Portuguese giants and were trailing for the better part of the game.

However, a late turnaround helped them seal a last-gasp win with Raphinha scoring the match-winning goal on a vicious counter-attack, giving Barcelona three points against the run of play.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Benfica 4-5 Barcelona.

Szczesny’s howler

Despite what the finals scoreboard reads, Barcelona were largely awful across the field last night with very few players putting in a positive display.

It is safe to call last night’s first half at Estadio da Luz Barcelona’s worst half of the season, and it is ironic how the same game will be remembered as one of the most special wins of the season.

Of all the players representing the crest, however, Wojciech Szczesny had the most disappointing outing.

The Polish goalkeeper started ahead of Inaki Pena on the night but looked shaky from the very start. Ultimately, it was his series of errors that led Barcelona into the soup they eventually landed in.

In just the 22nd minute against Benfica, the goalkeeper unnecessarily charged out of his box to win a ball Alejandro Balde had coming right towards him. Szczesny’s unexpected run caught the defender off guard and both players fell to the ground after colliding.

The ball, falling straight into the feet of Benfica’s striker, gifted the hosts an open goal and the lead just minutes after Robert Lewandowski’s equaliser.

Eight minutes after committing the blunder, the goalkeeper once again took down Kerem Akturkoglu in the box and conceded a penalty, giving Benfica a 3-1 lead and throwing away the momentum his side built.

While the Polish shot-stopper has indeed shown promise this season, his two errors last night coupled with his sending-off against Real Madrid make it clear that he must improve his decision-making.

Mentality of kings

A special comeback. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

Barcelona are not usually a team associated with grinding out wins from games they have not dominated, but last night’s performance added that feather to Hansi Flick’s cap.

The Catalans struggled against Benfica’s low block over the 90 minutes and even stared at a two-goal deficit for a greater part of the game. At no point, however, did they give up and their determination to keep fighting is heavy praise for Flick’s work.

Despite being behind on the scoreboard, under pressure by the Benfica attack and having the crowd against them in Portugal, Barcelona kept pushing in the final third.

A penalty won by Lamine Yamal brought the team to within one goal of Benfica, and with just five minutes remaining on the clock, Barcelona still pushed to find an equaliser that Pedri and Eric Garcia eventually found.

Instead of settling for the draw after the hard-fought clash, Barcelona found the energy to push for a winner in the last attack of the game as well and their mental resilience paid off as Raphinha executed the counter-attack with a surgeon’s precision.

A special mention goes out to Pedri who was sensationally good for the entire ninety minutes on a night when all his teammates seemed to struggle.

It was his control and vision that created numerous chances for the club and rightfully his assist that gave Barcelona the equalising fourth goal.

Top-8 locked in

Hansi Flick and Co. will take the three points irrespective of the performance dished out by the team. It may not have been a beautiful win, but the three points it granted are worth their weight in gold.

With 18 points in seven games so far, Barcelona sit in second place on the table and have secured their place in the top 8.

The eighth-placed team at it stands, Aston Villa, are on 13 points and can only hit a total of 16 points if they win their final game of the league phase.

Mathematically, Barcelona have thus assured themselves of a place in the top 8 and direct qualification to the knockout stages.

The biggest relief for Flick’s men, needless to say, is that they will now no longer have to participate in the knockout round and thus save themselves from two extra games on the hectic calendar.

With progression in the Champions League, Barcelona can turn their resources and attention to La Liga where they are in dire need of points at least until their Round of 16 fixture kicks off.