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- Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (4-1 agg): Yamal and Raphinha shine to send hosts into last eight
Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (4-1 agg): Yamal and Raphinha shine to send hosts into last eight
Barcelona are the first team into the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Benfica in their round of 16 second leg clash.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha were once again the stars of the show as Barcelona beat Benfica 3-1 to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The pair both scored and set the other up before Raphinha sealed a 4-1 aggregate win three minutes before half-time to set up a tie with either Borussia Dortmund or Lille next.
Hansi Flick's side hit the front in the 14th minute when Yamal's sensational solo run ended with a ball to the back post for Raphinha to guide home with a first-time finish.
But their joy was short-lived as Benfica restored parity two minutes later, with Nicolas Otamendi's header from Andreas Schjelderup's corner squirming past Wojciech Szczesny.
However, Barcelona's teenage sensation put them back ahead just before the half-hour mark, cutting inside from the right-hand side before bending a stunning strike beyond the grasp of Anatolii Trubin.
Raphinha then collected Alejandro Balde's pass inside the box following a quick counter-attack and finished with aplomb. There was confusion over whether the Brazilian'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But after a check by VAR the goal was confirmed, and Otamendi's yellow card rescinded.
Barcelona should have extended their lead in the 65th minute, with another fine free-flowing move involving Raphinha and Yamal seeing the ball arrive at the feet of Frenkie de Jong in the box, but he was unable to guide his effort on target.
Data Debrief: Yamal goes from prince to king
Barcelona have struggled in recent years to replace superstar Lionel Messi, but they have unearthed another gem from La Masia in Yamal, who was simply unplayable on Tuesday.
At the age of 17 years and 241 days, Yamal is the youngest player in Champions League history to score and assist in a match. The teenager is also the youngest player in the competition's history to register five assists in a single campaign, breaking Theo Walcott's record of 19 years and 23 days.
But he was backed up by team-mate Raphinha, who became just the second Barcelona player to score more than 10 goals in a Champions League season (11), along with Messi (12 in 2010-11, 14 in 2011-12, 11 in 2016-17, 12 in 2018-19).
He has scored and assisted in three games this season, the third Barca player to do so in a campaign after Messi in 2008-09 and Luis Suarez in 2015-16.
Barcelona have also become the third team in Champions League history to reach 20+ quarter-finals, along with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.