Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon with the score goalless

Playing with 10-men for over an hour of the game, Barcelona showed character and defeated Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

The UEFA Champions League is in the Round of 16 and one of the first leg matchups on Wednesday, March 5 sees Benfica challenging Barcelona at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.

Raphinha struck a second-half winner to give Barcelona a lion-hearted 1-0 victory at Benfica on Wednesday as they overcame a red card for Pau Cubarsi early in the game to steal an advantage in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Raphinha scored a wonderful long-range strike as Barcelona overcame Benfica to gain a slender first-leg advantage despite playing most of the game with 10 men.

Harvey Elliott scored less than a minute after coming on as a late substitute to fire Liverpool to a stunning 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said he was proud of his players' effort and sacrifice as they earned a 1-0 win at Benfica in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday despite playing most of the game with 10 men.

Benfica take on Barcelona on Wednesday, March 5, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. WET local time in Portugal. That also makes it an 8 p.m. GMT start in the UK, a 3 p.m. ET or 12 p.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 7 a.m. AEDT kickoff in Australia on Thursday morning.

The last time the two teams faced each other it was one of the best champions league this season,  FC Barcelona beat S.l. Benfica in a nine goal thriller.

Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most of the game with 10 men.It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games,

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick hailed his side's resilience and team spirit after they battled to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday.