"Give him the Ballon d'Or", "Built for the big stage" - Fans hail Barcelona star for his 'clutch' performance in 5-4 win against Benfica
Barcelona fans on X have waxed lyrical about Raphinha after he netted a brace, including a late winner, during their thrilling 5-4 win against Benfica. The two sides faced each other in the UEFA Champions League at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday, January 21.
Despite being down 4-2 in the second half, Raphinha scored twice (64', 90+6') to inspire his side to victory. The 28-year-old had a sensational game, completing 46 passes from an attempted 55 with an accuracy of 84 percent and creating three chances. He also landed three shots on target from six attempts and won eight duels down the left wing (via FotMob).
The Brazil international has been in exceptional form for Barcelona this season, garnering 22 goals and 11 assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.
Fans were left impressed by Raphinha as one fan posted:
"Raphinha is built for the big stage."
Another fan backed him to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or:
"GIVE RAPHINHA THE BALLON D'OR!"
Other fans reacted below:
"PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME THIS MAN IS CLUTCH. We coming for that Ballon D'OR," one fan commented
"The thing about Raphinha is simple.. He makes you believe," another added
"Raphinha has that fire in his eyes. Big game player," one fan tweeted
"Raphinha showed balls of steel throughout the game. And it’s not the first time," another insisted
Barcelona show great resilience to complete 5-4 comeback win over Benfica in UCL clash
Barcelona displayed remarkable grit as they came back from 4-2 down to seal an impressive 5-4 win over Benfica. They are currently second in the Champions League table with 18 points from seven games, three points behind leaders Liverpool.
Vangelis Pavlidis finished well in the second minute to hand Benfica the lead. However, Robert Lewandowski netted his penalty 11 minutes later after Alejandro Balde was fouled inside the box.
Barcelona's fortunes worsened soon after as a collision between Balde and Wojciech Szczesny led to Pavlidis restoring Benfica's lead (22'). After Szczesny gave a penalty with a reckless challenge inside his box, the hosts made it 3-1 (30') with Pavlidis completing his hat-trick.
Fortunately for Barcelona, they got back into the game when Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin's clearance bounced off Raphinha's head into the back of the net (64'). However, the Blaugrana's momentum came to an abrupt halt when Ronald Araujo made a poor decision in sliding to intercept a cross, resulting in an own-goal (68').
Fortunately for the Uruguayan defender, Barcelona launched a late comeback with Lewandowski (78' (P)), Eric Garcia (86'), and Raphinha (90+6') netting one goal apiece. The latter proved to be the hero, smashing the ball past Trubin in emphatic style in the dying seconds of the game to help his side seal all three points.