Who is the true hero of Barça? Pedri proves it in Lisbon

Pedri González completed his umpteenth recital of the season in the midfield of FC Barcelona. Against Benfica (0-1), the '8' put on his work clothes again to lend a hand in recovery and transition after the early expulsion of Pau Cubarsí. With Barça clearly at a disadvantage due to numerical inferiority and refereeing decisions, the Canarian took it upon himself to provide calm and sanity to the team when everything seemed headed for a very difficult night.

In the 90 minutes, the player from Tegueste recovered 11 balls, with 60 of 65 completed passes (92%) and four fouls drawn. Additionally, he created a couple of goal opportunities and, in individual duels, won 8 of 13, with 2 of 3 successful dribbles. In the early minutes, when Benfica wanted to impose a dizzying pace, Pedri took control of the ball, managing each Blaugrana possession to restore dominance to the visitors.

After that, with Barça playing with ten, possession shifted to Benfica's side, although not by much (52% to 48%). The Catalans had to run more than usual, but between the Canarian and Frenkie de Jong, they managed to maintain the balance of a team that had to do without Dani Olmo very early. In the final stretch, Marc Casadó and Gerard Martín provided oxygen to secure a victory that leaves the Catalans with one foot and a half in the Champions quarter-finals.

Pedri, the brain of Barça against all odds

After the match, Pedri assessed the team's reaction to hold on for 69 minutes with one player less in Lisbon. "When Cubarsí was sent off, we knew what we had to do. We were claiming a previous push from Pavlidis (on Frenkie de Jong), but I didn't see the play. Now we go for the return leg," the Blaugrana '8' began saying to the microphones of 'Movistar'. Additionally, the player from Tegueste praised Szczesny's performance, another of Barça's figures with up to eight saves.

"The last time here, I wasn't very happy. He has saved us many times. Under the posts, he is very big," commented the midfielder, who also admitted how difficult it was to maintain concentration in such a complex match. "In the end, everything was tightening up for me, but when help is needed, you have to run like the best," he pointed out. Just like in La Liga, Pedri has established himself as the brain of the team, masterfully controlling the tempo of each match, beyond the context and the rival in front of him.