‘Crazy Game, Proper Classic’ – Reactions Trail Barcelona’s Stunning 5-4 Win Over Benfica
Barcelona produced a stunning performance to earn a last-minute 5-4 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday, which has drawn reactions from football fans, coaches, and even the media.
The Blaugrana fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the first half and went down 4-2 in the second half to earn a stunning 5-4 victory at the death in Portugal.
Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis scored a 30-minute hat-trick before Ronald Araujo scored an own goal for their fourth goal.
Robert Lewandoski scored a brace, and the in-form Raphinha added a brace of his own. Eric Garcia also got in the act to lead Barcelona to a historic victory.
The fans enjoyed the match, with many of them talking to social media to express their delight after an entertaining display of football artistry.
Balian described the encounter as breathtaking, praising Barcelona for digging to the end to earn a vital win.
He wrote on X: I think many of the soccer fans (around the world), especially the neutral fans, have really enjoyed the match. It was one of the most breathtaking soccer matches that ended with a dramatic “remontada” for Barcelona.”
Labib Choudhury said the match was a proper classic Champions League match.
He wrote on X: “Proper classic UEFA Champions League game right there. From 4-2 down to 5-4, we’ve actually managed to win it. What a game; Barcelona never made it easy, but we got the job done.”
Rash revealed that the game had everything, describing it as a comical and bizarre clash.
He wrote on X: 9-goal thriller! Bizarre and comical game. It had everything. Own goal. Penalties. Scoring without knowing. Szczęsny with a disaster class in the first half. The backline was in disarray. The team didn’t want to defend. Benfica was in focus and took their chances well, but somehow they let it slip. Barça did not play well, but they will be happy with the win.”
Football pundits too were not left behind in sharing their responses to the mouthwatering encounter.
Glen Hoddle described the game as unbelievable while also praising Raphinha’s stunning goal.
He said, “Dear me, unbelievable; that is amazing.
“That is an incredible goal. How much he was guiding it there, I don’t know.
“It has hit him full on the forehead there, and he is the only one who knows if he reacted to that and guided it there, or if it was just a fluke.
“He must have firmed his neck muscles very quickly, the instinct to head it, so we have to give him a little bit of credit, but I would like to see it again; I really would.
“Football never ceases to amaze you; all the passes and little balls Barcelona have tried to put through, and they score like that, it is unbelievable.”
Alan Hutton, who was on commentary duty for TNT Sport, was in awe with the way the game ended.
He said, “This sums up the game for me—how crazy it was.
“That incident at one end—that’s more of a penalty than the other ones in my opinion—and then to just break away and leave yourself open one against one.
“Raphinha, you know the quality he’s got; cuts inside; good shot. The keeper could possibly do better.”
Joleon Lescott admitted there was almost too much action to analyse.
He said, The lack of quality defending we didn’t see, but you can’t predict that scoreline; you can’t predict a game like that and the incidents involved.
“There’s so much to talk about; you can dissect it any way you want.
“You can applaud the mentality of Barcelona to come back from that deficit, or you can criticise Benfica for letting it slide.”
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted that he has never seen such a game in his life as a football coach.
He said, “It was a very crazy game. The most positive thing was the mentality we had. We came back and that’s wonderful. That’s football and that’s why we love it.
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a comeback like this. It is unbelievable. We didn’t play so well in the first half. They are very good and scored first.
“They made us defend very deeply. We were not in the right position. In the second half, we were better, and substitutions helped us a lot.”
Benfica’s manager, Bruno Lage, was disappointed with the officiating in the encounter while blaming his players for allowing Barcelona to score the winning goal.
He said, “I feel enormous frustration with the result, but I’m also immensely proud of how we played. Scoring four goals and showcasing such football only to concede in that manner is incredibly frustrating.
“What happened in the 94th minute was a major referee mistake. It’s not just my opinion or that of the fans—experts across the country have acknowledged that it should have been a penalty. Referees must be consistent in such situations. If a penalty is awarded in one instance, it should be awarded in another similar case.
“We were focused on appealing for the penalty, but we should have committed a tactical foul instead and stopped Raphinha from running half the pitch to score.”
This was the first game in UEFA Champions League history to finish 5-4, with Barcelona becoming just the second side in the competition’s history to win a game despite conceding 4+ goals (Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warsaw in November 2016).
The victory all but confirmed Barcelona’s place in the second round of the competition with a game to spare.
‘Crazy Game, Proper Classic’ – Reactions Trail Barcelona’s Stunning 5-4 Win Over Benfica is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
