Good day, everyone, and welcome to my blog. FC Barcelona, for the first time since 2021, has made it to the quarter-final of the Uefa Champions League competition this season after beating Benfica 3-1[4-1 on aggregate] at home. It was just like I said in my post yesterday that Hansi Flick and the boys need to go into that match to finish the job and avoid any slip-ups throughout the whole 90 minutes of the game. The players did extremely well last night against Benfica; every single one of them deserves accolades for their performance.
Raphinha has been a terror under Benfica's skin as he once again scored against the Portuguese club and not just one goal but two goals last night. Raphinha now has 11 goals and 5 assists this season in the Champions League, and the team is still in the competition, which means she could probably finish with 15 to 20 goals in the UCL this season. Now there is clearly no doubt that Raphinha is on his way to winning the Ballon d'Or this year because Mohammed Salah, who is his top competition for the award, got knocked out of the competition last night by PSG through a penalty shootout, and I will drop a review for that match later today.
Raphinha has been incredible this season for Barcelona, and it will be an icing on the cake if Barcelona wins the Champions League this year. Lamine Yamal was incredible yesterday for Barcelona as the youngster scored and gave an assist against Benfica. What more can I say about Lamine Yamal that I haven't said already. Lamine Yamal is an incredible player, and it is crazy to think that this boy is still just 17 years old and performing at the highest level of football. It is just insane to watch.
The assist he gave for the first goal was insane, Lamine Yamal dropped two bodies on the floor with his fake shot and gave an incredible pass to Raphinha, who made sure to put the ball inside the goalpost with his first touch. I watched the transition to the goal, and I saw Lamine Yamal telling Raphinha to hold on before making that run and delivering the pass to the Brazilian to score the goal. It is insane to see how Lamine Yamal detected the time of his run and also his teammate at the same time to create that goal chance.
The assist was not enough for Lamine Yamal as in a couple of minutes Lamine Yamal got his name on the score sheet. The goal was similar to the one he scored against France in the Euros. The reaction of the players, when Yamal scored that goal, says as if they were blown away by the goal. This kid is on another level, and we have yet to see him hit his prime. It is going to be an interesting year for Lamine Yamal at Barcelona, and I just hope his form keeps going up so the club won't have another Ansu Fati situation in the long run.
Pedri was incredible as always, and he again picked up the Man of the Match award without scoring goals or giving an assist. The people who still think Jude Bellingham is better than Pedri don't just enjoy watching football. It is hard to find a midfielder who can control the tempo of the game the way Pedri does each match he plays on the pitch, which is what makes Pedri special. Barcelona will find out their opponents for the quarter-final tonight when Dortmund and Lillie face off this evening, and no matter who comes out on top from that match, I am sure Barcelona will win and go through the next round of the UCL.
So, guys, that will be all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a good day.
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