Barcelona 3-1 Benfica - Eagles Exit the Champions League in the Round of 16 | OneFootball

Benfica suffered a 3-1 defeat in Barcelona which ended their Champions League campaign in the round of 16. Following a 1-0 loss in the first leg in Lisboa, the Eagles never looked like overturning the deficit in Spain.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Lamine Yamal’s miscued effort fell straight into his path. Nicolás Otamendi converted from a corner two minutes later, but that was as good as it got for the Portuguese club.

Yamal did it all himself in the 27th minute when he restored Barcelona’s lead, curling a textbook strike into the top corner. Raphinha finished off a swift counter-attack on the stroke of half-time to put the tie to bed.

Bruno Lage’s side staged a late fight back but it was far too little too late, Barcelona’s superiority on and off the pitch confirmed after their third victory against Benfica in the space of seven weeks.

Barca on top

Barcelona began brightly at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski firing weak shots at Anatolii Trubin. The hosts stayed on the front foot and took the lead in the 11th minute.

The goal came after a long diagonal pass from António Silva was intercepted by Jules Koundé. Lamine Yamal ran into open space and got past Florentino and Nicolás Otamendi, his miscued shot falling perfectly for Raphinha who volleyed past Trubin.

Otamendi equalises

Benfica equalised two minutes later after winning a corner. Andreas Schjelderup sent the ball into the danger area where Robert Lewandowski flicked the ball towards the back post, Wojciech Szczesny unable to prevent Otamendi's close range header nestling in the net.

One way traffic

The Catalan club immediately reestablished their dominance, Yamal going close before going one better in the 27th minute. The 17-year-old collected a deep free kick on the right wing, got past Tomás Araújo and curled a trademark left-footed strike past a despairing Trubin.

Raphinha couldn’t keep his shot down and Lewandowski smashed a great opportunity at the busy goalkeeper, but Barcelona wouldn’t be denied and made it 3-1 before half-time.

Benfica lost possession on the edge of Barca's box and were ruthlessly punished, Alejandro Balde surging forward and feeding Raphinha who drilled the ball into the bottom corner.

Bruno Lage made two substitutions in the 56th minute when Kerem Aktürkoglu and Schjelderup were replaced by Renato Sanches and Zeki Amdouni. It made no difference with the gulf in class and confidence clear for all to see.

Frenkie de Jong missed a golden opportunity to extend Barcelona's lead before Benfica’s second shot of the game fell to Vangelis Pavlidis, the Greek striker firing straight at Szczesny.

Florentino and Orkun Kökçü made way for Leandro Barreiro and Andrea Belotti in the 70th minute which instigated the Eagles’ best spell of the contest. Samuel Dahl's shot was blocked by Iñigo Martínez, Sanches blazed over the bar and Amdouni's header failed to get past Kounde and Szczesny.

That was as good as it got for Benfica as Barcelona cruised into the quarter-finals where they will face Borussia Dortmund or Lille.

Eagles outclassed

The result in Spain confirmed what we already knew. Barcelona are the superior club that possess more money, a finer manager, better players and therefore a higher quality team that made it three wins against Benfica in the space of 49 days.

The Eagles blew a great chance to take the advantage in the tie but couldn't capitalise in the first leg, unable to score in a 1-0 defeat after Pau Cubarsí was sent off in the 22nd minute.

When a team is technically inferior than their opponents, the gap needs to be bridged with teamwork and attitude. Benfica lacked those two qualities in Spain, perfectly proven by Orkun Kökçü's repulsive reaction when Benfica lost the ball in the build up to Barcelona's third goal.

Bruno Lage’s side will lick their wounds and return to Portugal where they still have a chance in the Primeira Liga thanks to Rúben Amorim's midseason switch from Sporting Clube de Portugal to Manchester United. The Eagles begin with a tricky trip to Vila do Conde where they take on Rio Ave.