LISBON: Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most the game with 10 men.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon with the score goalless.
Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona have not won the competition since 2015 but are expected to go deep this season, after a draw which many consider favorable.
Hansi Flick insisted before the game there was no such thing as an “easy” tie and the coach was proven right on a tense evening in the Portuguese capital.
Wojciech Szczesny made a smart save to deny Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu after just a few seconds, and the opening stages were played in a way that indicated both sides were picking up where they left off in Barcelona’s 5-4 group stage win in Lisbon a few weeks ago.
Dani Olmo fired narrowly wide at the other end as Barca threatened, before Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin produced a stunning triple save to keep the score level.
The Ukrainian first parried Dani Olmo’s prodded effort, then made a brilliant reaction stop to thwart Robert Lewandowski converting from point-blank range and mopped up Lamine Yamal’s attempt from the rebound.
Barcelona were dealt a blow when 18-year-old center-back Pau Cubarsi was sent off after 22 minutes.
The Spaniard scythed down Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored a hat-trick in the group match, as he ran through on goal.
Szczesny saved Orkun Kokcu’s drive from the free-kick, with Flick sacrificing Olmo for defender Ronald Araujo to steady the ship.
The Polish goalkeeper, brought out of retirement by Barcelona after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury in September, also made a fine reaction save to keep out Akturkoglu’s header before the break.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Flick’s Barca gave as good as they got at the Estadio da Luz.
After another good Szczesny intervention to stop Pavlidis kept Benfica at bay before Raphinha broke the deadlock.
On the right flank after Flick replaced Yamal early in the second half with Ferran Torres, Raphinha stole in to win the ball back high up and wallop a low, deflected effort home from distance.
It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, with the forward in the form of his career.
Barcelona defended frantically in the final stages as Benfica sought to level.
The hosts thought they had won a penalty when Szczesny felled Andrea Belotti, but there was an offside in the build-up and Barcelona survived with their lead intact.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Inter Milan’s powerful strike duo of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez combined to give the Italians a handy 2-0 advantage over Dutch side Feyenoord after an absorbing Champions League last-16 first leg Wednesday.
Quality finishes either side of half-time from the French and Argentinian strikers proved the difference between the two teams, who meet again in Milan for Tuesday’s second leg, with the winner of the Bayern Munich-Bayer Leverkusen showdown lying in wait.
“Their quality is unbelievable,” admitted Feyenoord defender David Hancko.
“Second half you could see that they were controlling the game and it was more difficult for us to be dangerous,” added Hancko.
A lively opening quarter in Rotterdam’s ever-atmospheric De Kuip saw three-time European champions Inter enjoy most possession but Feyenoord carve out the clearest opportunities.
Ibrahim Osman, the pacy 20-year-old Ghana international winger on loan from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, was the main threat for the hosts, twice forcing Josep Martinez into sharp saves.
For the visitors, Thuram found himself with a clear run at goal but decided to pass square rather than shoot and the danger was snuffed out.
It was a moment of quality from the French striker that broke the deadlock with just eight minutes until the half-time whistle, latching onto a curling cross from Nicolo Barella to hook it in with the outside of his boot at the far post.
The goal, slightly against the run of play, galvanized the Serie A side, who suddenly looked much more dangerous going forward.
Feyenoord legend and recently installed manager Robin van Persie would have been glad to get his side into the dressing room just 1-0 down after an entertaining first half.
But his side’s arrears doubled just five minutes into the second period, as Martinez drilled an unstoppable shot into the top corner, giving the hosts a mountain to climb.
Jakub Moder came close to getting Feyenoord back into the game when his lunging deflection skimmed the bar.
Inter had their own chance to put the game — and probably the tie — beyond reach when Jeyland Mitchell brought down Thuram in the box, the referee awarding a penalty after a long VAR check.
But Timon Wellenreuther in the Feyenoord goal produced an excellent save from Piotr Zielinski’s penalty, moving smartly to his right.
Feyenoord pressed to the end looking for something to take to the San Siro but the Inter defense held firm in a pleasing night for Simone Inzaghi’s men.
“Feyenoord came out well a few times, but I think we were solid in defense,” said Inter’s Dutch international Denzel Dumfries.
“We hit them well on the break and we made things difficult for them,” he added.