Champions League Controversy: Raphinha’s 12th Goal Sparks Debate with 21cm Tap-In “Stolen” from Teammate

At a glance, it looked like a goal. At second glance, it looked like a robbery. As the Champions League quarterfinals lit up the Montjuïc night sky, Raphinha’s 12th goal of the campaign didn’t just break the deadlock—it broke the internet. A 21-centimeter tap-in at the goal line, a goal celebration that never came, and a confused teenage teammate who thought he had just scored the biggest goal of his young life—this was football drama in high definition.

The moment came in the 25th minute, with Barcelona hosting Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their much-anticipated Champions League quarterfinal clash. What followed was a snapshot of both individual ambition and team dynamics, raising questions about sportsmanship, instinct, and the raw hunger that drives the world’s elite forwards.

The Build-Up: A Free Kick, A Scramble, and the Split-Second Decision

Barça had dominated the early exchanges, pushing Dortmund deep into their own half with wave after wave of attacking movement. Fermín López, winning a free kick on the right flank, sent in a curling ball that dropped with menace in the box. Up rose Iñigo Martínez, winning the aerial duel and redirecting the ball into chaos.

Enter Pau Cubarsí, the 18-year-old center-back who’s rapidly become one of Spain’s brightest young stars. Sprinting forward, he threw himself at the loose ball, executing a perfect slide-tackle shot. The ball rolled toward the net with the certainty of a goal.

But just as it was about to cross the line—less than a foot away, precisely 21 centimeters—Raphinha stormed in and stabbed it home with the studs of his right boot.

VAR intervened. The Barça players held their breath. The assistant referee had flagged for offside. But replays showed that a Dortmund defender’s trailing heel—a mere few inches—had kept Raphinha onside. The goal stood.

The Reaction: Elation, Confusion, and Silent Celebrations

It was a surreal scene.

Cubarsí, elated, wheeled away with arms wide in celebration. The teenager thought he had just scored his first-ever Champions League goal in the biggest match of his career. Behind him, Raphinha looked less sure—not celebrating, not raising his hands, not even smiling. He glanced at the referee, then the assistant, waiting. Only after the VAR decision did he permit himself a nod and a jog back to the halfway line.

It was, by all accounts, one of the simplest goals Raphinha will ever score. No defender near him. No goalkeeper in front of him. Just a ball that was already going in—and a decision made in a split second.

A Goal That Changed the Record Books

With that tap-in, Raphinha moved to 12 goals in the Champions League this season, overtaking his rivals to remain at the top of the UCL scoring charts. But even more impressively, the Brazilian winger joined Lionel Messi as only the second player in Barcelona history to score 12 or more goals in a single Champions League campaign.

• Messi, of course, did it three times:

  • 2010-11: 12 goals

  • 2011-12: 14 goals

  • 2018-19: 12 goals

Now, Raphinha (2024-25) sits alongside that legacy.

But how that 12th goal came about has sparked a tidal wave of opinions.

The Ethics of the Tap-In: Was It Necessary?

In cold statistical terms, Raphinha made the right move. You score when you can, especially if you're not offside and there's no whistle. Goals are currency, especially in a season where he's not only chasing the Champions League Golden Boot, but may well throw his name into Ballon d’Or contention.

But this wasn’t a routine striker’s finish from 12 yards. It was a ball that was literally crossing the line. Cubarsí’s shot was already destined for the net. From the replays, the entire ball was just one football diameter away from being fully in.

And Raphinha? He chose to touch it anyway, despite knowing the ball was already going in. The risk? Being offside. The reward? Stat-padding, a golden boot edge, and maybe some personal accolades down the road.

Objectively, it’s fair. But subjectively? It’s uncomfortable.

A Silent Storm: What the Teammates and Flick Did Not Say

Interestingly, no one complained. Cubarsí didn’t argue. He clapped his hands and returned to his position. Coach Hansi Flick, who rarely hides emotion, remained stoic on the sidelines. Maybe they all knew the stakes. Maybe they understood Raphinha’s hunger.

Or maybe, as some fans speculated online, it wasn’t worth starting internal friction over one goal—especially when Barça would go on to win 4-0.

Still, the silence said a lot. There was no group hug after the goal. No laughter. No replay on the big screen at the stadium. Just a quiet nod, a reluctant acknowledgment, and a VAR decision that validated a goal and raised eyebrows.

What It Says About Raphinha

To understand this moment is to understand Raphinha himself—a late bloomer who fought his way from Avaí in Brazil to Leeds United, and then on to Barcelona. A player who has always had to prove his worth, often overshadowed by bigger names and bigger reputations.

For Raphinha, every goal is validation. Every number matters. In a squad with Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal, staying relevant isn’t easy—even when you’re producing.

This was a striker’s instinct in a winger’s body. And in that moment, Raphinha wasn’t just scoring a goal. He was asserting his place, staking a claim, and telling the world: “I belong here too.”

Flick’s Streak, Barça’s Statement

The goal may have carried tension, but the result was pure dominance. Barcelona crushed Dortmund 4-0, putting one foot firmly in the Champions League semifinals. And for Hansi Flick, it was more of the same against an old foe.

The German manager has now faced Dortmund seven times in his career—six with Bayern, once with Barça—and won all seven. His mastery of the Bundesliga runners-up continued with ruthless efficiency.

Barça’s front three—Lewandowski, Raphinha, Yamal—looked in perfect sync. Lewy scored twice. Yamal added a fourth. Raphinha, controversial goal or not, opened the floodgates.

And the numbers speak volumes:

• Raphinha: 12 UCL goals

• Lewandowski: 11 UCL goals

• Yamal: 13 goals in all competitions

• Combined: 81 goals from the trio

This team isn’t just winning—they’re steamrolling.

A Goal to Remember—for All the Right and Wrong Reasons

What will this goal be remembered for? Depends who you ask.

• Statisticians will file it as Raphinha’s 12th, and a record-matching feat for Barcelona.

• Supporters will remember the way he didn’t celebrate.

• Cubarsí will remember thinking, for a few fleeting seconds, that he’d made history.

• Analysts will debate whether it was greed, instinct, or simply bad optics.

But for Raphinha, it might just be another step toward greatness. The Golden Boot. A deep Champions League run. A name carved alongside Messi in club lore.

Sometimes greatness comes in tap-ins. Even ones that ruffle feathers.

Final Thought: 21 Centimeters, 1 Goal, Infinite Debate

Football is built on moments. Sometimes it’s a 30-yard screamer. Sometimes it’s a 21-centimeter toe poke. And sometimes, the smallest actions lead to the biggest conversations.

Raphinha’s goal might not make the season highlight reel. But in the margins—of history, of glory, of controversy—it might be the moment we talk about most.