Barcelona's thrilling stoppage time victory against Benfica was the cherry on the cake of a brilliant start to matchweek 7 of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
The Catalans were shaky for most of the match and with 15 minutes to go, they were down 4-2 and looked frustrated in the final third. However, a penalty brought them back into the game and an Eric Garcia header in the 86th minute appeared to seal the draw—or so we thought.
In the 96th minute, Ferran Torres cleared the ball down the wing into the path of a storming Raphinha, who ran full steam ahead, collected the ball, went inside the box, cut to his left, and fired a shot to the near post to cement Barcelona's thrilling comeback.
The reaction on social media was immediate, with people going wild for one of the craziest games in recent Champions League memory. The CBS Sports desk was preparing to go back on-air, but the cameras were already rolling, allowing us to see the wild reactions to Raphinha's winner from Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
The goal even provoked a slight wardrobe malfunction for the former Manchester City man. One of the funniest clips of the season so far.
Barcelona's late winner had @MicahRichards popping off 😭 pic.twitter.com/u3ZdA5j3wh
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 21, 2025
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The reaction was well merited, aside from it being a thrilling fixture that left fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle, it also had significant ramifications for Barcelona. The Catalans secured a spot in the Champions League round of 16, meaning they won't have to play a two match playoff to get to the knockout rounds and Hansi Flick can rotate his squad in their final game of the league phase.
Barcelona will be back in action in La Liga on Sunday against Valencia, whilst the CBS Sports desk will return tomorrow to wrap up matchweek 7 of the Champions League.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Watch the Champions League Analyst Desk's Hilarious Reaction to Raphinha's Winner for Barcelona.
