A manager scolding players, goalkeeping blunders, and a disputed winning goal – could Benfica vs. Barcelona be the match of the season?

In a thrilling encounter at the Estadio Da Luz, Raphinha of FC Barcelona etched his name into the annals of UEFA Champions League history with a remarkable 96th-minute winner, sealing a sensational 5-4 victory over Benfica. The match, which will surely be remembered as one of the craziest in the competition’s storied past, featured a bizarre goal that could easily be a contender for the strangest of the season.

The home side looked poised for a historic triumph as Vangelis Pavlidis netted a first-half hat-trick, putting Benfica ahead 3-1. Barcelona managed to respond through a Robert Lewandowski penalty, but it was Raphinha’s extraordinary goal that truly turned the tide. In a moment of sheer misfortune for Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, the ball ricocheted off Raphinha’s forehead after a wayward clearance, sailing into the net and leaving commentators Ian Darke and Glenn Hoddle in disbelief.

“Dear me, unbelievable, that is amazing,” exclaimed Hoddle, clearly taken aback by the sheer randomness of the goal. “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.” The goal, which brought the score to 3-2, reignited Barcelona’s hopes of securing a top-eight finish in the league phase. Darke added, “Oh wow, what an extraordinary goal, giving Barcelona hope. Trubin is absolutely kicking himself, my word, and they are singing in the rain the Barcelona fans about that because that changes a lot.”

However, it wasn’t just Trubin who had a night to forget. Barcelona’s Wojciech Szczesny, the former Arsenal goalkeeper, was also culpable for two glaring errors. His reckless charge out of goal resulted in a collision with his own defender, allowing Pavlidis to tap in an easy goal. Szczesny then compounded his mistakes by conceding a penalty, which Pavlidis converted to complete his hat-trick.

As the match progressed, Barcelona’s hopes seemed to dwindle once more when Ronald Araujo inadvertently restored Benfica’s two-goal advantage with an own goal. Yet, Lewandowski’s second penalty of the night brought the Catalans back into contention, and Eric Garcia’s equaliser set the stage for a dramatic finale.

In a nail-biting conclusion, Benfica sought a fifth goal and appeared to be denied a stoppage-time penalty when a player was seemingly pushed in the box. However, the referee waved play on, allowing Barcelona to break swiftly and set up Raphinha for the decisive strike in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Adding to the drama, Benfica’s Arthur Cabral received a straight red card in the eighth minute of stoppage time, capping off a night filled with twists and turns. TNT Sports pundit Alan Hutton reflected on the chaotic nature of the match, stating, “This sums up the game for me, how crazy it was. Raphinha, you know the quality he’s got, cuts inside, good shot. The keeper could possibly do better.”

Joleon Lescott echoed Hutton’s sentiments, admitting that the sheer volume of action made it difficult to analyse. “No way did we see that coming,” he remarked. “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.”

In the end, Barcelona’s resilience shone through, while Benfica will be left to ponder what might have been in a match that will be talked about for years to come.