Barcelona and Inter Milan shared a compelling 3-3 draw in a high-octane Champions League semi-final first leg clash on Wednesday, with teenage star Lamine Yamal shining bright.
Hansi Flick's Barca are a step away from reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches.
All eyes were on Brazil's Raphinha ahead of the game after his explosive comments on Romario TV, where he boldly promised Argentina would be “beaten up” both on and off the pitch.
"We'll beat them up... Absolutely! Beat them up! On the pitch and off the pitch if we have to," Raphinha said in an interview on "Romario TV" with the Brazilian great.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha dazzled as Barcelona thumped Benfica 3-1 on Tuesday, reaching the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.
Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most the game with 10 men.
Robert Lewandowski's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win for Barcelona against Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, as the third-placed hosts reduced the gap on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to four points.
Raphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and virtually ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16.
The Catalans had lost their last six games against Bayern but outplayed the six-time winners at the Olympic Stadium with Robert Lewandowski also on the scoresheet, while England star Harry Kane struck for the visitors.
After scoring the first hat-trick of his career and delivering two assists to guide Barca to a 7-0 demolition of Real Valladolid, Raphinha said that the result showed that the club has the players it needs to be contenders.
Brazil winger Raphinha scored a hattrick as Barcelona thrashed Real Valladolid 7-0 on Saturday to make it four wins from four in La Liga under new coach Hansi Flick.
Brazil goalscorer Raphinha insisted the five-time world champions would be unfazed at the prospect of playing Uruguay.
“This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian soccer. It’s getting hard to find the spirit to watch the games. This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, only average players for the majority."
Barcelona woke up with a familiar sinking feeling on Wednesday, another Champions League hangover, after Paris Saint-Germain thrashed them 4-1 at home to eliminate them in the quarter-finals.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez hailed his side's 3-2 win away to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, insisting it showed the Catalans could once again compete with the very best teams in Europe.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Saturday goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and winger Raphinha are fit again after injury to help the team's ailing title defence.
"He is out and his recovery will determine his availability."
Vinicius, who limped off early in Madrid's 1-0 La Liga win against Celta Vigo on Friday, will reportedly be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury, taking him out of Brazil's qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru on September 8 and 12, respectively.
Repeating the combination of provider and scorer from last week's 1-0 win at Valencia, Raphinha netted a thunderous strike right on halftime after a brilliant pass by midfielder Sergio Busquets who spotted the Brazilian ghosting behind the defence
