Raphinha becomes the top scorer of the Champions League with 11 goals

FC Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with authority against Benfica (3-1). The team coached by Hansi Flick made the most of the 0-1 obtained last week in Lisbon to, with a new victory in Montjuïc, close the tie with a resounding 4-1. Raphinha (brace) and Lamine Yamal resolved the match for the Catalans in a great first half. 

For the Brazilian, who had already scored in the first leg, it was another opportunity to hurt his favorite victim in the tournament, something that took him only 11 minutes. Rafa opened the scoring taking advantage of an assist from Lamine from the right in a play where the youth player seemed to attempt a cross shot, but ended up with a deflected center that the Porto Alegre native finished first-time, firing past Trubin.

The lead only lasted a minute for Barça, but Yamal put the Catalans back in front with a stunning goal from outside the area in the 27th minute. With Benfica clearly outmatched in all lines, the final blow came in the 42nd minute, after a great run from Alejandro Balde. The full-back stole a ball at the edge of the blue-and-claret area and did not stop running until reaching the edge of the opponent's area, where he was clearly brought down by Otamendi before passing the ball to Raphinha. The '11' shot across, first-time, to seal the 3-1 and the qualification for the Catalans.

Raphinha surpasses Guirassy and is now the top scorer of the Champions League

With his brace against Benfica, a team he has scored five times against in three matches, Rafa now has 11 goals and is the tournament's top scorer. The Barça forward surpassed Serhou Guirassy (10), who had previously left Robert Lewandowski (9) behind by taking advantage of the two extra matches in the playoff against Sporting CP. Behind the Brazilian and the Guinean, tied with 'Lewy', is Harry Kane (9).

Against the Portuguese, Raphinha completed 3 shots (1 off-target), as well as 31 of 36 passes (86%) and created a couple of opportunities. In individual duels, he won 4 of 11, with another couple of fouls drawn and one ball recovered. In total, the Porto Alegre native has 27 goals in 41 matches in which he has also provided 17 assists. Only Mohamed Salah (32G/22A) has been involved in more goals than the '11' Catalan in the five major European leagues.

⚽ UEFA Champions League Top Scorers 24/25

1. Raphinha | FC Barcelona: 11 goals in 10 matches
2. Serhou Guirassy | Borussia Dortmund: 10 goals in 11 matches (1 goal in playoff)
3. Harry Kane | Bayern Munich: 10 goals in 12 matches (1 goal in playoff)
4. Robert Lewandowski | FC Barcelona: 9 goals in 10 matches
5. Erling Haaland | Manchester City: 8 goals in 9 matches (2 goals in playoff)
6. Ousmane Dembélé | PSG: 8 goals in 11 matches (2 goals in playoff)
7. Vangelis Pavlidis | Benfica: 7 goals in 12 matches (2 goals in playoff)
8. Julián Alvarez | Atlético: 7 goals in 9 matches
9. Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid: 7 goals in 11 matches (4 goals in playoff)
10. Vinicius Jr. | Real Madrid: 7 goals in 9 matches

For Raphinha, there is no doubt: Barça is a candidate for the treble

After the match, the 27-year-old forward reflected on the blue-and-claret qualification, just after what happened last weekend in the lead-up to the match against Osasuna. "What happened a few days ago made us come into this match with more desire to win. The most important thing is that we managed to win as a team," he began saying in his talk with 'Movistar'.

In that sense, he added: "We knew what we had to do to win the match. We were focused on this. We had the favorable result and had a good first half. We are candidates to win everything", pointed out Rafa, who also praised Lamine Yamal for his stunning goal against Benfica. "He shows what he is. A player with tremendous quality. We just have to win with him".