Barcelona qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals in memory of Carles Miñarro, the club physician whose premature death left the squad in mourning. The players paid him tribute in the best way they could, by producing an electric and commanding display on the pitch at Montjuïc, just hours after witnessing his funeral.
“We did everything for him,” Pedri explained after their 3-1 win over Benfica, a game that demonstrated both their attacking strength and unshakeable resolve.
“He will be with us wherever he is; winning for him is very important for us,” Hansi Flick had insisted before the match, and his side did exactly that.
A thrilling first half convincingly won the match. Raphinha scored twice, and Lamine Yamal entered history books as the youngest player to score and assist in the Champions League at the age of 17 years and 241 days.
“What has happened gave us strength,” Raphinha said after. He also confidently proclaimed Barcelona title contenders, and on this showing, it was hardly an overstatement. Benfica were driven to exhaustion, relieved when the interval whistle allowed them respite from the never-ceasing tide of attacks. It was 3-1 in the night, 4-1 on aggregate, by then, although the scoreline was generous to the Portuguese side. Barcelona had outshot them 12-1, a statistic that said it all.
Since the first minute, it was apparent that Barcelona were on a mission. Frenkie de Jong had set the tone by driving forward with purpose, and Lamine Yamal appeared to be everywhere, gliding past defenders with ease. The whole team played with an intensity that Benfica could hardly match. Pedri, who had appeared fragile in the past, now seemed unstoppable. Dani Olmo possessed an eerie knack for finding space where none appeared to be available. Alex Balde ran forward at every chance, and Raphinha was once again decisive.
Benfica must be sick of the sight of him. With his brace, Raphinha has now scored five times in three meetings against them. The only Barcelona forward who did not have his best night was Robert Lewandowski. Twice he found himself in prime scoring positions—once set up by Yamal, once by Olmo—but both times, he failed to convert. Fortunately, his teammates were more clinical.
Barcelona opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but their advantage did not last long. Lamine Yamal, jinking and jinking past Florentino Luís, seemed to set himself up for a curling shot, but miscued it slightly—converting it into a flawless cross. Raphinha was in the ideal position to head it in. The celebrations had hardly died down when Benfica responded. A corner by Andreas Schjelderup picked out Nicolás Otamendi, who headed in off a deflection from Lewandowski. But if Benfica believed they had a grip on the game, Barcelona had other ideas.
Lamine Yamal then created a moment of pure magic. Positioning himself close to the corner flag, he moved his hips and slid past Tomás Araújo before cutting inside. Rather than a usual strike, he just flicked his ankle and sent the ball sailing, arcing, teasing its way towards the far net corner. Anatoliy Trubin simply could not move out of its way, like the ball itself was taunting any possibility to save it.
Raphinha, with admiration, acted as if he was shining Yamal’s boot. Shortly afterward, he had his second goal of the night. Balde ran through the center before rolling the ball back to him, and Raphinha shot it firm and low into the net. The flag went up with the linesman, but VAR got involved and verified the goal. With that, Raphinha scaled the advertising boards, arms spread wide, basking in the glory with the crowd.
By the second half, Barcelona had no cause to press harder. The tempo slowed, the desperation passed, and the result never belonged in doubt. There remained moments—Ronald Araújo nodded into the side netting, and Yamal almost created Olmo with a daring flick—but the match on their hands was thoroughly in Barcelona’s grasp. Benfica also created opportunities, and Vangelis Pavlidis forced the save and Samuel Dahl having his attempt blocked by Iñigo Martínez—his arm temporarily checked by VAR, but no penalty given.
Barcelona’s grip remained tight as the match drew to a close. In the final minutes, Jules Koundé denied Benfica a consolation goal by clearing Zeki Amdouni’s header off the line. But the match was no longer a contest at that stage. It had become something else entirely—a performance, a commitment, a tribute to a man who had played an important part in the team’s formation.
There was more to this night than the progress in the Champions League. It was a tribute to Carles Miñarro and transforming loss into something positive. And Barcelona showed it clearly by exiting the pitch with a place in the quarterfinals assured.
