Barca storm back for 'crazy' win over Benfica in 9-goal thriller

Barcelona spoiled the night for Benfica in dramatic fashion, fighting back from a pair of two-goal deficits to claim a sensational 5-4 victory in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Forward Vangelis Pavlidis scored a hat-trick in the opening 30 minutes, and Benfica went on to build a 4-2 lead in the 68th minute, which seemingly established a secure advantage at home.

But Hansi Flick's team staged a brilliant late comeback, with Robert Lewandowski halving the deficit from the penalty spot and Eric Garcia equalizing in the 86th minute.

The drama wasn't done there, though, as Raphinha delivered the knockout blow deep into stoppage time, racing away and smacking home the winning goal in the 96th minute - seconds after Benfica nearly won it at the other end amid a wild scramble in the penalty area.

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The Benfica players were incensed and surrounded the referee while claiming a penalty should have been awarded for a foul prior to Raphinha's goal. But VAR didn't recommend sending on-field official Danny Makkelie to the monitor after a brief look at the play.

"We knew how hard it would be here, in front of their fans, and they know how to play really well, they have top level players," Raphinha said after the chaotic match. "We didn't let ourselves sink at 3-1 down, we were focused on what we needed to do to try and change the game."

The wild win keeps Barcelona in second place in the league phase of this year's competition - three points behind Liverpool - and guarantees them an automatic spot in the last 16 of the tournament.

"The mentality of the team, they always believe in themselves and this was unbelievable to see," said Flick, adding that the match was "crazy."