Raphinha's brace takes Barcelona to the Champions League quarterfinals | OneFootball

The big showdown between Barcelona and Benfica has arrived. In a win or go home battle, the two teams will play to decide who moves on to the Champions League quarterfinals. Barcelona entered the game with the advantage, being up 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a goal by Raphinha. Raphinha has 9 goals in this Champions League campaign so far. With the suspension of Barca’s Pau Cubarsí due to a red card in the first half of the first leg, Inigo Martinez steps into the starting lineup.

The first half got off to a flying start, with Barcelona looking to add to their lead early. Maintaining most of the possession, Pedri held down the midfield, making pivotal crosses into the box that his teammates shot straight to Benfica’s keeper. Benfica didn't see too much of the ball, with Barcelona taking most of the shots this half.

Goals, goals and more goals

Barcelona finally got their goal in the 11th minute with a beautiful shot from Lamine Yamal finished by Raphinha, who scored his 10th goal in this season’s campaign. The fun didn’t last long though, with Benfica’s captain Nicolás Otamendi scoring barely two minutes later. Barcelona, hungry for more goals, take more shots that go wide. That is, until the 27th minute when Yamal scored a beautiful goal, putting Barcelona in the lead once again. Raphinha comes in clutch right before the half, bagging his brace. This game certainly brought the entertainment factor when it comes to goals.

A slow second half

The second half started off strong, with Benfica scoring a goal that was ruled offside. Outside of that, the ball stayed mostly with Barcelona much like the first half. This game is all Barca as they look to be one step closer to bringing the title home. The pace of the game slowed down the second half with missed chances on both sides. Barca’s De Jong narrowly misses a shot after a seamless team effort in the box. While Benfica had more chances in this half than the first, there’s no stopping Barclona. From their offense to their defense, they’re unstoppable. Barcelona sends Benfica packing with a 3-1 scoreline, 4-1 on aggregate.