Hansi Flick had nothing but positive words to say about his players after the hard-fought win over Benfica, which gives the team a huge advantage ahead of the second leg, as they have all the ingredients to reach the quarter-finals.
All of Barcelona’s players performed extremely well, and they were able to achieve victory on a very difficult pitch against an opponent who was in great form, having not known defeat in their last ten matches.
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According to information from the Spanish newspaper ‘‘El Nacional‘‘, Pau CUBARSÍ was one of the prominent names in Benfica’s match against Barcelona, but not for the reasons players usually hope for. He was sent off early, after just 20 minutes of the first half, leaving his team with ten men, which means he will miss the second leg of the round of 16. Despite this setback, Hansi Flick’s men managed to secure the win.
Despite the adversity, Barcelona managed to hold onto their lead in the match, thanks to a lone goal scored by Rafinha Diaz, and with the help of Wojciech Szczesny, who shone in the match and proved his worth as the starting goalkeeper. Szczesny made a series of great saves, which were a major factor in the victory, confirming that he is now at his best and the team’s number one goalkeeper.
Despite the expulsion, which was the talk of the town, Barcelona continued their impressive winning streak in 2025, remaining unbeaten. However, CUBARSÍ did not hesitate to admit his mistake and apologized to his teammates in the dressing room after the final whistle. The young player acknowledged his error and stressed that it could have cost the team dearly, promising not to repeat such mistakes in the future.
The apology was accepted by Flick and the rest of the team, especially since CUBARSÍ is still a young player, not yet 18, and such mistakes are part of the learning process for young players. Although he has already played over fifty matches at the highest level, he still lacks experience in some areas. The only condition everyone has set for him is that he learns from this lesson and does not repeat such behavior in the future.
