A late goal from Raphinha gave Barça a dramatic 5-4 victory in the Champions League, but led to a post-match confrontation in the tunnel.
Barcelona booked their place in the Champions League last 16 with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Benfica on Tuesday. La Blaugrana lost 3–1 and 4–2 at different points in the match, but a Raphinha strike in the 96th minute secured a 5–4 win.
That left Barcelona's players in high spirits at the whistle, but they were quickly brought back down to earth by members of the Benfica squad as the two sides clashed in the tunnel. Police were called to intervene and separate the two warring parties. Barcelona's match-winner Raphinha subsequently claimed the incident was caused by insults from the Benfica contingent.
He explained: “I am someone who respects everyone. When I left the field, people insulted me. I returned the insults. I know I shouldn't do that. Things got heated among the Benfica players.”
“I am someone who doesn't lie. I respect them when they respect me, but I won't shut up when they insult me. That's normal after such an end to a match.”
Benfica's players were frustrated by a late decision by the referee that indirectly led to Barcelona's winning goal. With less than a minute to go, Barcelona were defending in their own penalty area when Fermín López appeared to make contact with Florentino and deny him a shot on target. Referee Danny Makkelie waved away the claims and Barça swept onto the pitch. Raphinha delivered the final blow with a devastating goal. VAR was consulted, but Barcelona's goal stood and Benfica came away with nothing.
It remains to be seen whether the post-match scenes at the Estadio Da Luz will lead to further punishment for both sides. It is highly unlikely that an on-field penalty will be imposed, but teams could be fined for failing to control their players.
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