Madness in Lisbon: Barcelona's Spectacular Comeback
What a night to remember! A match fueled by passion and intensity from start to finish ended in a heart-wrenching and, perhaps, undeserved shock for Benfica.
Anatoliy Trubin conceded five goals, but pointing fingers at the Ukrainian goalkeeper would be unfair. Two goals came from penalties, another from an unfortunate deflection off Raphinha's head, and in multiple instances, Trubin made heroic saves. Yet, he was left helpless twice more as Barcelona attackers struck from point-blank range.
Benfica looked excellent, playing with courage and flair, breaking the deadlock in the opening attack and constantly staying ahead with blistering counter-attacks into open spaces. Vangelis Pavlidis netted a hat-trick, a testament to the team's collective efforts and relentless attacking display. When Ronald Araújo inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, making it 4-2 in favor of the hosts with just 22 minutes left, it seemed certain that victory was theirs.
However, Barcelona refused to surrender, fighting as if the result meant everything to them. They clawed their way back to level terms with relentless pressure. And then, in the dying moments of stoppage time, a moment of sheer heartbreak for Benfica arrived—Raphinha seized a loose ball, sprinted 30 meters, outmaneuvered a defender, and fired it past a helpless Trubin.
Thus concluded a phenomenal match, rich in drama and brimming with top-tier football—a game that will be talked about for years to come.
2024-25 UEFA Champions League
Benfica - Barcelona 4:5 (3:1)
Goals: Pavlidis E., 2 (1:0); Lewandowski, 13 (penalty) (1:1); Pavlidis E., 22 (2:1); Pavlidis E., 30 (penalty) (3:1); Raphinha, 65 (3:2); Araujo R., 68 (own goal) (4:2); Lewandowski, 78 (penalty) (4:3); Garcia E., 87 (4:4); Raphinha, 95 (4:5)
Benfica: Trubin; Araújo T.; Otamendi; Silva A.; Fernandez Ál.; Kökçü (Amdouni, 80); Pavlidis E. (Rollheiser, 80); Florentino; Schjelderup (Di Maria, 71); Aursnes (till 61); Aktürkoglu (Bah A., 71)
Bench: Soares S.; Bajrami Adrian; Beste; Barreiro L.; Rego Joao; Felix N.; Prestianni; Cabral
Yellow Cards: Otamendi 76
Barcelona: Szczesny; Araujo R.; Balde Al. (Torres F., 74); Cubarsí; Kounde (Garcia E., 74); Gavi (Fermin, 62); Casado M. (de Jong F., 62); Raphinha; Yamal (Martín, 92); Lewandowski; Pedri
Bench: Kochen Diego; Peña I.; Christensen A.; Fort H.; Torre P.; Pau Victor; Fati An.
Yellow Cards: Gavi 35; Kounde 66; de Jong F. 94; Fermin 97
