Benfica vs Barcelona descends into chaos as players fight in the tunnel with 'police having to intervene'

Barcelona defeated Benfica 5-4 in a Champions League classic at the Estadio du Luz - but the match ended in major controversy that reportedly continued into the tunnel.

In a chaotic evening in Lisbon that saw Benfica forward Vangelis Pavlidis net a hat-trick, Barca winger Raphinha score a freak goal and the second half and two penalties awarded, it was Raphinha who scored with almost the last kick of the game to win the match for Hansi Flick's side.

Barca had earlier come back from 4-2 to level the scores, but their chances of winning appeared to have ended when Frenkie de Jong was adjudged to have fouled Alvaro Carreras.

But the visitors managed to clear and found Raphinha, who charged forward before cutting inside and slotting the ball beyond goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

There was major controversy, however, as Benfica players and fans felt Leandro Barreiro had been pushed by a Barcelona defender inside the penalty area.

OH MY WORD, RAPHINHA WINS IT FOR BARCELONA 🤯

Against all odds, it's 5-4! What a turnaround!

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/yao5ovmBq3

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 21, 2025

VAR checked for a potential penalty but decided not to take any action, leaving the hosts incensed.

Substitute Arthur Cabral - who hadn't even come off the bench - was sent off by the referee for his reaction to the decision, before the official was then confronted by Benfica boss Bruno Lage.

But that was not all.

According to Movistar, a fight broke out between both sets of players in the tunnel after the match, with on-site police having to intervene.

It is claimed that they had to break Raphinha apart from the Benfica players, though the exact nature of the altercation is not yet clear.

After the chaos subsides, Barcelona will look back on an evening which saw them secure automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout stage.

They sit second in the group stage with 18 points to their name and the highest goal difference in the competition - though their goals conceded column took a significant hit in Lisbon.

Benfica, meanwhile, are in 18th place but could slip further down the table depending on results from Wednesday's fixtures.