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Barcelona dedicates Champions League win to late team doctor

Barcelona dedicated their Champions League win to their late team doctor Carles Miñarro, who passed away three days ago.

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Barcelona dedicates win to deceased team doctor

Raphinha struck twice, and Lamine Yamal scored a stunner as Barcelona beat Benfica 3-1, sealing a 4-1 aggregate win to reach the quarterfinals.

Miñarro passed away hours before Saturday’s LaLiga match against Osasuna, which was then postponed.

The 53-year-old’s cause of death remains undisclosed.

“We came into this game even more determined to win after the passing of Carles,” Raphinha told reporters after the game.

Meanwhile, Barca head coach Hansi Flick also dedicated the success to Miñarro.

“I said before the match we wanted to honor the memory of Carles,” Flick said in the post game news conference.

“After what happened, I think it’s good to win for him. Carles is always with us. It’s like that. He has always a place in our team.”

The Spanish, Catalan, and Barca flags flew at half-mast, and a minute’s silence honored Miñarro before kickoff.

Dominant showing

Barça sealed the deal with three first-half goals, extending their unbeaten run to 17 games and reaching the Champions League quarterfinals for a second straight season.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 11th minute after Lamine Yamal’s assist, but Nicolas Otamendi equalized from a corner just two minutes later.

Yamal restored Barca’s lead with a brilliant solo effort before Raphinha made it 3-1 just before halftime.

“I am really happy with that,” Flick said of his team’s display and their control in the second half.

“Benfica are a really good team. I knew they make good transitions, but we control the ball, we control the game, we were dominant.”

“This was good to see. I think we could score more goals, but we are happy that we are in the quarterfinal.”

Barcelona will meet either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarterfinal.