Barcelona fans are demanding a player is sold immediately after a dramatic 5-4 win over Benfica in the Champions League.
The Blaugrana were trailing 4-2 with just 13 minutes of normal time remaining, but Robert Lewandowski converted a second penalty and Eric Garcia equalized in the 86th minute.
Then, with virtually the last kick of the match, Raphinha netted the winner for Hansi Flick’s side, sprinting past the Barca defense before calmly finishing past Anatoliy Trubin and celebrating in sheer joy.
Benfica players were livid, arguing they should have been awarded a penalty just before Raphinha’s goal after Leandro Barreiro went down in the box.
Barcelona’s dramatic victory secured their automatic qualification for the next round of the Champions League, having earned 18 points from a possible 21.
However, not all supporters were pleased despite the win, with many calling for one player to be sold following his poor performance.
Wojciech Szczesny, who reversed his retirement decision to join Barca in October, started in goal for the Catalan side and conceded four goals. His huge mistake in Benfica’s second goal, where he misjudged the ball and collided with his own teammate, only fueled the criticism.
Szczesny was initially set to be the backup to Inaki Pena following Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s injury but has featured in four matches for the club. However, many Barcelona supporters have grown frustrated with his performances and are calling for his departure.
On X, one fan wrote: “Please sell Szczesny, what is he doing there? This is the Champions League, wake up.” Another added: “Maybe it’s time to sell my Szczesny stocks because it’s happened twice now.” A third fan commented: “They should sell Szczesny and put me in goal.” A fourth fan joked: “It was at this exact moment, Wojciech Szczęsny knew he should have stayed retired.”
Despite the criticism, Szczesny did make an important save to deny Angel Di Maria, and one fan defended him, saying: “I’m not going to blame Szczesny or anyone else for yesterday’s performance because everyone was making mistakes, even the Benfica players. Everyone was really nervous, I guess.”
Hansi Flick also refused to place blame on his goalkeeper, saying: “What player doesn’t make mistakes? We all make them. We win and lose together. I liked what I saw in the second half.”
Barcelona return to action on Sunday when they host Valencia at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
