‘Have you ever seen a goal like that?’ asks commentator as Barcelona score ridiculous goal in game of goalkeeper howlers
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GOALKEEPERS were the pantomime villains in a nine-goal thriller between Barcelona and Benfica last night. The European giants went head to head in their penultimate Champions League league phase games of the season when the Catalan club scored three goals in the last 20 minutes to win 5-4.
![[Wojciech Szczesny of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammates in the rain.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/wojciech-szczesny-fc-barcelona-celebrates-965687287.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Wojciech Szczesny came out of retirement in October to seal a deal to Barcelona amid their goalkeeping crisis, but manager Hansi Flick might have felt his side would have been better served without the Polish international bothering. The former Arsenal and Juventus shot-stopper had a calamitous first half in between the sticks as he dropped two clangers to concede a first-half hat-trick from Vangelis Pavlidis.
![[Illustration of Benfica vs Barcelona match stats.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-sun-22-23-match-stats-beb27724-e6ba-44fa-be5b-7aa9afcd95a1-1.png?strip=all&w=960)
There was nothing Szczesny could have done about Pavlidis' opener, but his second and third were almost entirely down to the Pole. Just nine minutes after Robert Lewandowski had levelled the scores for Barcelona to 1-1, Szczesny inexplicably came charging out of his area to greet a "loose" ball played over the top by Nicolas Otamendi.
![[Barcelona's Alejandro Balde colliding with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny during a soccer match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/barcelonas-alejandro-balde-collides-barcelonas-965599313.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Instead, he clumsily clattered into his own defender Alejandro Balde, completely wiping out the left-back and allowing Pavlidis to score the easiest goal he'll ever score as he ran through on an open net. The third was just as much Szczesny's fault too as he came charging off his line once again, this time sliding at the feet of Benfica winger Karem Akturkoglu and bringing him to the ground inside the area for an undeniable penalty.
![[Soccer game in progress.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-22-at-08.15.38.png?strip=all&w=960)
