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Raphinha claimed that Benfica players hurled derogatory remarks towards him which eventually led to a brawl.
Barcelona’s Raphinha (AP)
Raphinha struck a last-minute winner to help Barcelona overcome Benfica in a Champions League game. After the match finished in Lisbon, members of the two teams engaged in a heated altercation inside the tunnel. Speaking about the incident, Raphinha claimed that Benfica players hurled derogatory remarks towards him which eventually led to a brawl. According to the Brazilian forward, he was leaving the ground along with his Barcelona teammates when some opponents “insulted” him.
The situation soon turned worse, forcing the police and security personnel to intervene, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. Raphinha who was at the centre of the scuffle was escorted away immediately. Police even blocked access to the Barcelona dressing room to prevent any further escalation.
Raphinha, who was named the Player of the Match, shared details of the tunnel fight during an interaction with CBS Sports. “I’m someone who respects everyone. When I was leaving the pitch, people were insulting me. I returned the insults. I know I shouldn’t. It got heated with the Benfica players,” he said, reported ESPN.
“They preferred to insult me. I’m someone who doesn’t let anything lie. I respect them if they respect me, but I don’t shut up if they insult me. It’s normal after an ending like that to a match,” the former Sporting CP star added.
Barcelona pulled off a roaring comeback in Lisbon to seal their berth in the Champions League knockouts. In the first half, they mostly remained on the backfoot. A hat-trick by Vangelis Pavlidis put Benfica in a commanding position while Lewandowski scored from a spot kick for Barcelona.
Raphinha reduced the deficit in the 64th minute with a lucky goal. But moments later, Ronald Araujo’s defensive blunder again helped the hosts earn a two-goal lead. Only 12 minutes to the final whistle, Barcelona was awarded their second penalty and Lewandowski made no mistake in converting it.
In the 86th minute, Eric Garcia scored the equaliser for the visitors with a towering header. The match had already entered the second-half stoppage time when Raphinha ripped apart the Benfica defence to score his eighth Champions League goal of the season.
- Location :
Lisbon, Portugal
