Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (agg: 4-1): Champions League final 16, second leg – reside | Champions League

This tie was over the minute the outrageous teenage expertise Lamine Yamal sashayed in from the correct and effortlessly flicked a roller into the top-left nook. Yamal, who at 17 years and 241 days has grow to be the youngest participant to supply each a purpose and an help in the identical Champions League recreation, was borderline unplayable at instances. Two-goal Raphinha was on tune too, throughout a scintillating first-half efficiency which might simply have seen Barcelona rating double the three objectives they really managed. Benfica didn’t even play significantly badly, they have been simply no match for his or her star-studded hosts. The Catalan giants will play Borussia Dortmund or Lille within the quarters; they’ll fancy their probabilities of going all the way in which, and on tonight’s kind, why not?

FULL TIME: Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (agg 4-1)

90 min +1: This whole half has been a masterclass in clock administration by Barcelona. Not a joule of vitality needlessly expended. The reward for wrapping issues up so effectively within the first half.

90 min: There might be two further minutes.

89 min: A free kick for Barca out on the left. Raphinha caresses it into the mixer. Araújo can’t get any buy on his header on the far put up.

88 min: Raphinha hits the nook lengthy. Garcia heads down on the far stick however can’t discover a team-mate within the center. Benfica clear their traces.

87 min: Gavi’s snap-shot from the right-hand nook of the six-yard field is blocked out by Otamendi. Earlier than the ensuing nook might be taken, Eric García comes on for Iñigo Martínez.

85 min: Amdouni twists his manner down the left to win one other Benfica nook. Barca make a meal of clearing it, and the ball finds Otamandi out on the correct. He dinks a cross throughout the face of purpose for Amdouni, whose downward header practically pinballs off Kounde and into the underside left … however shaves the bottom of the put up, Szczęsny lastly put to work. The keeper smothers.

84 min: João Rego comes on for Tomás Araújo.

83 min: Aursnes sends a Benfica nook in from the correct. It’s no good. However the ball’s recycled again to Aursnes, resulting in an outbreak of head tennis within the Barca field. However once more there’s no actual hazard to the house aspect. Szczęsny in a position to smoke his tab all the way in which right down to the butt.

82 min: It’s now 2-2 in double modifications. Marc Casadó and Pau Victor come on for Frenkie de Jong and the record-breaking Lamine Yamal. To repeat: at 17 years and 241 days, Yamal has grow to be the youngest participant to supply each a purpose and an help in the identical Champions League recreation.

80 min: Sanchez bursts down the center of the park. He’s acquired choices both aspect, however turns them each down, dropping a shoulder a few instances earlier than hoicking a poor effort excessive over the bar from the sting of the field. On the touchline, an sad Bruno Lage tells it as he sees it.

78 min: Nope, it’s by no means a penalty. The nook from the left results in one other on the correct, and that one results in nothing. Szczęsny nonetheless swanning round with a fag on.

77 min: Higher from Benfica, as Amdouni dribbles throughout the face of the Barca field, proper to left, and tees up Dahl, who opens his physique and steers a shot in direction of the right-hand aspect of purpose. Martinez slides in to dam. It’s only a nook, however earlier than it may be taken, there’s a fast verify by VAR for a possible penalty.

76 min: See 55 min.

74 min: Torres clears the bar within the model of Jonny Wilkinson.

73 min: Torres’s first act is to get skittled by Otamendi, 30 yards out in a central place. Free kick. Fairly a couple of Barca gamers fancy taking this one.

71 min: Benfica are not less than main 2-1 in double modifications. Now they change Orkun Kökçü and Florentino with Leandro Barreiro and Andrea Belotti.

70 min: It’s Barcelona’s flip to make a double change. Gavi and Ferran Torres come on for Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo.

69 min: Barcelona stroke it round, and the house followers soundtrack the scene with a couple of olés. Any outdated excuse …

67 min: Pavlidis jigs his manner down the inside-left channel earlier than taking a whack straight at Szczęsny, who has had valuable little to do, apart from dream of tasty fags.

65 min: Araújo tries to launch Aursnes down the correct. Aim kick. Completely nothing taking place for Benfica up entrance. The identical can’t be mentioned for Barcelona, with Raphinha beginning an assault with a pleasant backflick down the left touchline. The ball’s shuttled throughout the face of the Benfica field to Yamal, who executes one other backflick, releasing Kounde into the field on the correct. A low cross fizzed in. De Jong, sliding in, manages to shank vast of an open purpose from six yards.

63 min: Olmo tries to purchase a free kick by hanging out a leg to make contact with Silva, earlier than falling over within the brazen model. The free kick goes Benfica’s manner, and Olmo’s fortunate not to enter the ebook.

61 min: … so having mentioned that, the hosts instantly gradual issues down once more. Pulitzer, please!

59 min: Balde’s flip to eat up floor down the center. He slips a go to Olmo, who one-twos with Yamal alongside the inside-right channel. However the return go is just too robust, permitting Trubin to smother at Olmo’s toes. Barcelona starting to undergo the gears once more, in pursuit of that fourth purpose.

57 min: De Jong romps up the center of the park earlier than feeding Raphinha out on the left. Raphinha appears for Olmo with a low cross, however Olmo can’t attain the diagonal ball earlier than it runs out of play to the correct of purpose. Only for a second, quantity 4 seemed on the playing cards for Barcelona.

56 min: Benfica make a double swap. Renato Sanches and Zeki Amdouni come on for Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Andreas Schjelderup.

55 min: It’s all a bit scrappy and low vitality. If each groups might declare, one suspects they might proper right here and now.

53 min: Yamal drifts in from the correct and goes for one more of these flip-curls in direction of the highest left. This a technique off track. It’s not as simple as he made the primary one look. One other one to file underneath: Not Tremendous-Human All The Time.

52 min: Barcelona have loved 63 p.c of possession tonight, and brought 13 makes an attempt on purpose to Benfica’s one. “Lamal seems to have gone the total Phil Foden with the bespoke wrist wrapping,” observes Tim Smith. “Is that this a brand new harm or am I simply not in a position to comprehend the youth of right this moment. For what it’s price, Phil seems to have worn his for not less than a yr. Cheaper than a tat I suppose?”

51 min: Yamal practically releases Olmo into yards of area down the center with a tricksy back-flick. Almost, not fairly. The group appreciated the ability anyway.

49 min: Raphinha sends an outswinger of a free kick to the far stick. Araújo tries to steer a header residence from a good angle, however can solely flap the aspect netting. So practically 4-1 on the night. After which so practically 3-2 as Pavlidis springs clear down the Benfica left and rolls throughout for Aursnes, who slides in and roofs. However Pavlidis was clearly offside.

48 min: Silva is booked for clipping Raphinha mid-glide. A free kick out on the left flank.

47 min: So right here’s a stat. At 17 years and 241 days, Lamine Yamal has grow to be the youngest participant to supply each a purpose and an help in a Champions League recreation. He’s crushed a report set by Breel Embolo (17 years 263 days). Subsequent up: Ansu Fati (17 years 355 days) and Jude Bellingham (18 years 78 days). That’s not dangerous firm to be retaining.

Benfica get the second half began. No modifications. “It used to really feel like a privilege watching Messi – however with Lamal it’s extra like pure pleasure,” writes Charles Antaki. The place Messi scurried, Lamal lopes; Messi was a closed ebook of genius, Lamal has expertise on public view. Additionally he clearly enjoys enjoying, which Messi didn’t at all times appear to. However Messi lasted a superb ten years, possibly extra, on the summit. Let’s see about Lamal, however it appears good already.”

Half-time postbag. One other e mail! How about that. “I by no means know what to make of Hansi Flick,” begins Kári Tulinius. “On the one hand, he desires his groups to assault relentlessly and depend on high-wire defending when issues, inevitably, go pear formed. Alternatively, he has the manner and have an effect on of a barely intense center supervisor at a life insurance coverage agency on costume down Friday. I assume I like my hell-for-leather attack-minded managers to seem like they’ve suffered for his or her wild concepts. Zdenek Zeman, the place are you now?”

Any outdated excuse to relive Hans-Dieter’s best second.

Half-time postbag. It’s teeming over with an e mail. “I hope Wojciech Szczęsny took the time to mild up a artful fag in appreciation after that frankly outrageous Yamal purpose,” writes Justin Kavanagh.

Half-time commercial. Time to ponder tonight’s massive showdown at Anfield. Yara El-Shaboury has the main points. And sure, this tie is over, however you’ll nonetheless come again for the second half, sure? Please!

HALF TIME: Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (agg 4-1)

45 min: Otamendi doesn’t know whether or not to argue the toss over the purpose, or settle for he’s now not within the ebook. What a merry puddle.

44 min: … and Otamendi has his yellow card rescinded. What a fiasco.

43 min: Some very unusual stuff within the quick aftermath of the purpose. It appears as if the referee’s dominated out the purpose, having blown for a foul on Balde, who was clattered by Otamendi whereas making the help. Too whistle completely satisfied? It appears prefer it. Otamendi is booked. However then, maybe because of the intervention of VAR, the referee awards the purpose in spite of everything! How odd. However the purpose stands, because it ought to.

GOAL! Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (Raphinha 42); agg 4-1

41 min: Olmo finds Raphinha on the sting of the Benfica D. Raphinha curls powerfully in direction of the highest left … however it’s at all times heading over. Then moments later, Lewandowski saunters into the field and prepares to shoot from 12 yards. An excessive amount of preparation. He hesitates, is almost closed down, after which, immediately rushed, slaps an uncharacteristically witless effort straight at Trubin. One other large likelihood spurned.

39 min: Olmo slips a go down the correct for Yamal, who is that this near scuttling clear. Schjelderup saves the day with a nice last-ditch deal with. Then a counter, with Pavlidis sprung free down the Benfica left. He opens his physique and pings a nice curling shot throughout Szczęsny and off the junction of crossbar and right-hand put up. Then the flag pops up for offside, appropriately so. It wouldn’t have counted, however maybe that’ll give Benfica slightly succour.

37 min: That second Barca purpose has taken slightly little bit of wind out of the Benfica sail. That they had gone toe to toe with their hosts for the primary quarter of an hour, however now, not a lot.

35 min: Replays of that Yamal purpose … my oh my. He simply pinball-flippered that shot together with his boot. A delicate golf wedge. A crisp flick of a table-tennis bat. Comparisons to different spare time activities can be found. Such magnificence. Raphinha mimed shoe-shining Yamal’s boot throughout the celebration, and as Glenn Hoddle observes on TNT Sports activities, Yamal definitely deserved the buff.

33 min: Pedri is clipped from behind by Kökçü. It’s a foul, nothing extra. Pedri flashes an imaginary card whereas rubbing his ankle, which is a bit pointless, particularly after a garden-variety problem.

31 min: Benfica are all around the store on the again. Yamal tries to tee up Lewandowski, 12 yards out. A poor go. He’s solely human, in spite of everything. Barcelona might, and doubtless ought to, be out of sight.

29 min: Simply as they did upon conceding the primary purpose, Benfica win a nook just about instantly from the restart. Schjelderup down the correct this time. Pavlidis swings it in however it’s a simple declare for Szczęsny. No immediate on-the-night equaliser this time.