Barcelona forward Raphinha said the team was even more determined to perform well in their Champions League match against Benfica following the passing of club doctor Carles Miñarro.
Raphinha, who has now scored 27 goals in all competitions this season, netted twice as Barcelona secured a 3-1 win at the Olympic Stadium, sealing a 4-1 aggregate victory to reach the quarterfinals.
The match took place just three days after Miñarro’s sudden passing, which led to the postponement of Barcelona’s LaLiga game against Osasuna on Saturday. The 53-year-old’s cause of death has not yet been officially disclosed.
“We came into this game even more determined to win after the passing of Carles,” Raphinha told reporters after the game.
Barça coach Hansi Flick also dedicated the success to Miñarro.
“I said before the match we wanted to honor the memory of Carles,” Flick said in the post game news conference. “After what happened, I think it’s good to win for him. Carles is always with us. It’s like that. He has always a place in our team.”
To honor Carles Miñarro’s passing, the Spanish, Catalan, and Barcelona flags were flown at half-mast at the stadium, and a minute of silence was held before the match began.
Barcelona secured their place in the Champions League quarterfinals for the second year in a row with a dominant first-half performance, scoring three goals and extending their unbeaten streak to 17 games in all competitions.
Raphinha put Barça ahead early, thanks to an assist from Lamine Yamal, but Benfica quickly responded as Nicolás Otamendi equalized from a corner kick.
Yamal restored Barça’s lead with a stunning individual effort, before Raphinha added the third on the stroke of halftime.
“I am really happy with that,” Flick said of his team’s display and their control in the second half. “Benfica are a really good team. I knew they make good transitions, but we control the ball, we control the game, we were dominant.
“This was good to see. I think we could score more goals, but we are happy that we are in the quarterfinal.”
At 17 years and 241 days old, Lamine Yamal became the second-youngest player to score in a Champions League knockout match, with former Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic still holding the record as the youngest.
Yamal’s stunning curling shot from the edge of the box marked his 12th goal of the season across all competitions. However, it was his first time scoring in seven games.
“Great,” Flick added of Yamal ending his mini-drought. “I think everyone was looking for this goal and it’s good for him, it gives him self-confidence.
“It was at the right time this goal happens. I am happy for him that he scored again.”
However, despite Yamal’s goal and assist and Raphinha moving on to a tournament high 11 goals in the Champions League this season, midfielder Pedri claimed UEFA’s MVP trophy.
“He’s 100% fit and it’s good to see what he’s doing with the ball, but also without the ball is unbelievable,” Flick said of Pedri. “He’s in the right position at the moment and, for me, in this position, he’s the best in the world.”
Barcelona will face either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the Champions League quarterfinals. They are also leading LaLiga with a game in hand and have secured a spot in the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Raphinha believes the team has the potential to accomplish great things this season.
“We are candidates to win every competition,” he said. “We knew that Benfica would come here strong, but we knew what we had to do to win the game and focused on that.
“We had the result in our favor from the first leg and did really well tonight, it was an especially good first half.”