Fans were fuming after Barcelona stole a last-gasp win against Benfica in the Champions League, with the hosts being denied a penalty at the death.
…Barca beat Benfica in UCL thriller
…Raphinha scored last-gasp winner
…Hosts denied penalty in build-up
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Catalan giants were on the winning side in a Champions League classic but the match has been shrouded in controversy following the referee’s decision not to award Benfica a penalty moments before Barca scored the winner. Fermin Lopez appeared to push Leandro Barreiro in the box, while Frenkie de Jong also looked to have handled the ball, but play was waved on and Raphinha was played through and finished in style to complete the comeback. The incident left fans on social media fuming at the officials, who seemed to miss an obvious foul.
WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING
There was no holding back from some accounts online. One user, @AlienCasts, said: “Barcelona getting saved by TWO no-call penalties leading up to that winner is all I needed to know they’re getting bailed out in all levels. Sickening.
@aa9skillz agreed that it was a farce not to award Benfica a penalty. He posted: “I’m done with football man… Uefa will always help Barca…. Give Yamal a pen for 1 hand on him and don’t give a pen for someone hanging over a player F*ck uefa… this is not football….”
Popular streamer @markgoldbridge also weighed in on the action, adding: “That’s so dodgy from the officials in the Barca game. Shove in the back of the Benfica player then De Jong clearly moves his hand towards the ball. Could be a pen for either and they get neither….”
@Omaar96 referenced the controversial game between Chelsea and Barcelona in 2009, posting: “Could be Barca’s biggest UCL robbery since that Chelsea game lmao.”
And @KayRMFC said: “Barcelona with another big robbery on a champions league night. This is ridiculous”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Away from the drama and decisions, Barca were fortunate to walk away with three points. Benfica put on a spectacular first-half display, racing into a 3-1 lead and they could have had more, even without Wojciech Szczesny’s howlers. But as they have done before in the Champions League, Hansi Flick’s men dug in to turn the tide and after pulling the score back to 4-3, it always felt like there was room for them to go on and win the game despite their defensive frailties.
WHAT NEXT?
The win puts Barca in second place on 18 points and behind Liverpool in the standings with just one game to go in the initial league phase, and their direct route to the knockouts is now confirmed. A win for Benfica would have seen them move to within inches of the top eight – and automatic qualifier places – but instead they will have to dig deep in the final game and hope results go their way to avoid a play-off to advance into the knockout rounds.
Goal
