FC Barcelona 3-1 Benfica: A thrashing, a spectacle, and into the quarter-finals of the Champions!

FC Barcelona is one step closer to their sixth Champions League. The azulgrana team was a true whirlwind at Montjuïc and achieved a crushing victory against Benfica (3-1), led by an unstoppable Raphinha and a completely uncontainable Lamine Yamal. The lethal duo of the Catalans had another magical night and were responsible for sealing the qualification for the quarter-finals of the European competition with three stunning goals.

Hansi Flick's side showed their champion character and insatiable hunger for victory, leaving the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys with a crucial win that allows them to advance to the next round of the tournament for the second consecutive season and keeps the dream of the treble and the sixth 'Orejona' more alive than ever.

Emotional minute of silence for Dr. Carles Miñarro

Before the referee's initial whistle, Montjuïc witnessed the most emotional moment of the night. The entire stadium united in an impressive minute of silence in memory of Dr. Carles Miñarro, who was the medical doctor for the first team and passed away suddenly last Saturday during the azulgrana team's concentration before the match that was supposed to be played against Osasuna.

The Catalan club requested permission from UEFA to pay this tribute to their doctor, and the European body ultimately agreed to allow it. With flags at half-mast, and while the chords of 'El cant dels ocells' by Pau Casals were heard, the fans and both teams observed silence in honor of a beloved figure within the club.

On the azulgrana bench, Dr. Pruna was seen staring intently at the scoreboard, which displayed a photograph of Dr. Miñarro alongside a black ribbon, while in the stands, Ter Stegen was practically in tears over the loss of a highly respected professional within the institution and a friend of the blaugrana locker room.

The show of Lamine Yamal

The match began at a very high and vibrant competitive pace. Before the 10-minute mark, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal had both given warnings to the Lisbon side with two shots that went straight to Anatoliy Trubin. However, the visitors' resistance would soon give way seconds later.

At the 11th minute, the star from Mataró burst down the right flank, made a spectacular cut past Florentino Luis, and delivered a movie-like pass to the far post for Raphinha, who opened the scoring with his second consecutive goal in the tie. This goal also allowed the '11' of the Catalans to enter the competition's history, as he became the third Brazilian to score ten goals in a single Champions League season with Barça, behind Rivaldo and Neymar.

However, the locals' excitement would not last long. Just a minute later, Benfica earned a corner, and after António Silva flicked the ball at the near post, Nicolás Otamendi entered the small area of Wojciech Szczesny and equalized with a close-range header that the Polish goalkeeper could not stop despite getting a touch on the ball.

The 'Eagles' sought to turn the tie around, but they could do little to stop an unstoppable Lamine Yamal. At the 27th minute, the blaugrana star received the ball on the right side of the area, cut inside, and after leaving two defenders behind, reached the edge of the area and sent a dream shot to the far corner of Trubin's goal, which he could not reach despite stretching completely, putting the Catalans ahead once again with the goal of the tournament.

From this moment on, the Portuguese were cornered by Flick's men, who sought to capitalize on their advantage. Thus, at the 42nd minute, Alejandro Balde started from his own half and, after an impressive run of over 70 meters, assisted 'Rapha' to celebrate his double with a brilliant finish and put distance between the two teams before heading into halftime.

Montjuïc was a party in the second half

Upon returning from the locker rooms, Benfica tried to get back into the match, but the azulgrana 'hurricane' gave them no respite. However, in the 50th minute, Pavlidis managed to score the second goal of the night for the Portuguese, but it was disallowed for being clearly offside.

After this scare, Barça continued their particular spectacle, and their players were having fun on the pitch at Montjuïc. In fact, at the 64th minute, the Catalans executed one of the most beautiful plays of the night. Raphinha backheeled the ball to De Jong, the Dutchman advanced, opened up for Lamine, and he backheeled to Koundé to send a low cross to Frenkie, but unfortunately, the '21' could not get comfortable to finish and score the fourth goal.

The 'olés' began to rain down from the stands, and Montjuïc was a party, as the Barcelona fans knew they were qualified for the quarter-finals even with 20 minutes left in the match. Flick's men relied on their experience to cool down the game, and after several minutes of long and spectacular possessions, they confirmed their passage to the next round practically without breaking a sweat.

Barça awaits an opponent in the quarter-finals

In this way, FC Barcelona established themselves as the first team qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Despite suffering a bit more than expected in the first leg at Estádio da Luz, the Catalans made it clear once again that they are the best team in the world with a memorable recital in the return match at Montjuïc, where they secured their ticket to the next round of the tournament with a resounding victory.

Now, the blaugranas await their opponent in the quarter-finals. The culés' rival will come from the clash between Borussia Dortmund and Lille, which will take place this Wednesday, March 12 at 18:45 in the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. The tie is level at 1 on aggregate, so both teams will feature in an electrifying duel to determine who will face the Catalans in the next round of the European championship.

Montjuïc, the 'fortress' of Barça

With the victory this Wednesday against Benfica, Barça maintains their unbeaten record in 2025, with 14 wins and 3 draws in the 17 matches they have played so far, and they remain undefeated in the Champions League while playing at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The blaugranas have dominated Young Boys (5-0), Bayern (4-1), Brest (3-0), and Benfica (3-1) and drew with Atalanta in the last match of the group stage (2-2), with a brutal balance of 17 goals scored and only 4 conceded, certifying Montjuïc's status as a 'fortress' in the continental competition, a factor that could be key on the road to the sixth 'Orejona'.

Match technical sheet:    

• FC Barcelona, 3: Szczesny (P); Koundé, Araujo, Íñigo Martínez (Eric García, min. 87), Balde; Frenkie de Jong (Casadó, min. 82), Pedri, Dani Olmo (Gavi, min. 70); Lamine Yamal (Fermín López, min. 82), Raphinha, Lewandowski (Ferran Torres, min. 70).
• Benfica, 1: Trubin; Tomás Araújo (Joao Rego, min. 84), Antóni Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Orkun Kökçü (Belotti, min. 70), Aursnes, Florentino (Barreiro, min. 70); Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Renato Sanches, min. 56), Pavlidis, Schjelderup (Amdouni, min. 56).
• Goals: 1-0 Raphinha (min. 11); 1-1 Otamendi, (min. 13); 2-1 Lamine Yamal, (min. 27); 3-1 Raphinha, (min. 42).
• Referee: Willy Delajod. He cautioned the Lisbon player António Silva.