FC Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over SL Benfica in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Estádio da Luz. Despite being reduced to ten men early in the match, Barcelona displayed resilience and tactical discipline to gain a crucial advantage heading into the second leg.
In the 22nd minute, teenage defender Pau Cubarsí received a straight red card for a foul on Vangelis Pavlidis, leaving Barcelona with ten players for the majority of the match. The breakthrough came in the 61st minute when Raphinha capitalized on a defensive error to score the only goal of the match, giving Barcelona a vital away goal.
Veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who came out of retirement to replace the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, delivered an outstanding performance with eight crucial saves, including five in the second half, to maintain Barcelona’s lead.
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