FC Barcelona are celebrating high-flyer Raphinha after another magical night in the Champions League. But his evening had begun with a moment of fear.
The opener, which brings Barcelona very close to the semi-finals, once again makes its own history.
But in retrospect, it could have been different: Pau Cubarsi had perfectly extended the pass from center-back colleague Inigo Martinez to the far corner in the 25th minute. But even before the ball crossed the line, Raphinha finally volleyed it into the net.
The Brazilian beamed at Cubarsi before back at the halfway line his laughter gave way to a serious expression. The VAR had finally kicked in to check whether the Brazilian was in an offside position. When Norwegian referee Espen Eskas awarded the goal, Raphinha was also able to relax.
“I was worried about being offside for the first goal,” the Barcelona playmaker admitted, “but the good thing is that it counted. I touched the ball before the line – and then I apologized to Cubarsi. He told me it was okay and that it counted as an assist.” But why did Raphinha intervene at all? ”I thought the ball could have gone out and I had to make a quick decision.”
It fits with Raphinha’s season so far, in which he seems to be getting everything right. The 1-0 was already his 12th Champions League goal this season, with assists for Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal adding to his seventh and eighth assists.
Flick confirms Raphinha – and raves about him
20 goals and 19 assists after the quarter-final first leg is his outstanding tally. And one that only Lionel Messi achieved before him in the 2011/12 season. Back then, the Argentine scored 14 goals and provided six assists as Barcelona made their way to the semi-finals, where they faced a dramatic end against Chelsea. It’s hard to imagine that Raphinha won’t soon be holding the new Barcelona record.
The semi-final spot is already booked. Or is it? “I’m not going to admit that we’re in the semi-finals,” Raphinha clarified: “There’s still a second game to come, and playing in Dortmund is always complicated. They have a team with a lot of quality.”
A statement that head coach Hansi Flick naturally agreed with. After all, football is “a crazy sport. In Dortmund, you have to play like you did today. We have to be confident and make few mistakes,” he said.
Just like Raphinha does in most cases. “I think he’s an exceptional player, he’s shown that all season. He’s a role model. He confirms my first impression. He carries the team,” Flick said in conclusion about his top scorer.
