Barcelona’s ambitions for a solid start in their Lisbon fixture took a significant hit when Pau Cubarsi was shown a red card in their first-leg match against Benfica.
This dismissal happened just twenty minutes into the game. The referee deemed Cubarsi had fouled Vangelis Pavlidis, Benfica’s prime attacking threat, who was charging forward with a promising scoring opportunity.
It certainly wasn’t the scenario Barcelona’s head coach, Hansi Flick, had envisioned. Facing the league leaders in a buzzing Estadio da Luz now meant a potentially tense evening lay ahead.
An announcer burst onto Twitter, relaying, “Barcelona down to 10 men! 🟥 Pau Cubarsi sent off for challenging Vangelis Pavlidis outside the penalty area,” capturing the drama live through TNT Sports.
Reflecting on their earlier encounter in January, sparks definitely flew, ending in a 5-4 triumph for Flick’s squad. This sets the stage for Benfica, driven by a desire to avenge their past defeat, while simultaneously eyeing a favorable position to advance to the coveted quarter-finals before the return leg at Nou Camp next week.
Benfica’s prowess on home turf is well known, with an impressive eight-game unbeaten streak in their arsenal across all competitions. They managed to edge past Monaco with a 4-3 aggregate in the league phase play-offs, securing their spot in the Round of 16.
