Raphinha equals Cristiano Ronaldo's 'unique' UCL record

Barcelona lost an incredibly closely contested fixture against Inter Milan in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Their unbeaten run came to an unexpected halt at San Siro as they failed to progress into the finals of the UCL.

FC Barcelona went into the contest with an aggregate 3-3 scoreline. Despite giving it their all, Barcelona lost 4-3 in the second leg to crash out of the tournament.

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Raphinha equals Cristiano Ronaldo's UCL records 

Barcelona's skipper, Raphinha's performance still stood out amidst the heartbreak at San Siro. The Brazilian scored in the 87th minute to hand Barcelona a 3-2 lead. Raphinha almost won the match for Barcelona, but the club's defence faltered when it mattered the most. In the third minute of stoppage time, Acerbi scored with seconds on the clock to push the game into extra time. Inter Milan regained the lead 4-3 in the 101st minute via David Frattesi. The goal ultimately proved to be the winner as Barcelona failed to equalise in the remaining time.

Raphinha's final strike in this season's UCL ensured he equalled five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goal contributions in a single UEFA Champions League season. The Brazilian had 21 goal contributions, the highest by a Barcelona player in a single Champions League season. Just last week, he surpassed Messi’s record of 19 goal contributions. 

Raphinha also left behind the UCL record of his current teammate Robert Lewandowski, who amassed 20 goal contributions for Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, despite having such an impactful season, Raphinha failed to bring the UCL to Camp Nou.

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