Barcelona 5 – 4 Benfica
In a thrilling, action-packed match, Barcelona fought back to win 5-4 against Benfica, a game that featured goalkeeper mistakes, three penalties, and a stunning nine goals. After falling 3-1 behind within the first half hour, Barcelona wrote an unbelievable comeback story. The match ended in the 99th minute, with countless incidents unfolding before the final whistle.
Barcelona’s goalkeeper Wojciech Stanśtni made two costly mistakes in his first Champions League appearance for the club. Benfica’s Faggelis Pavlidis took full advantage, scoring a hat-trick in the first 30 minutes of play. Despite the early setbacks, Barcelona mounted a sensational fightback in the second half, defying the odds to secure an incredible win.
In Lisbon on Tuesday night, Barcelona found themselves down 3-1 in the first half and at one point 4-2 behind in the second half. However, they managed to turn the game around in a breathless nine-goal thriller, ultimately winning 5-4.
With this victory, Barcelona secured a spot in the Champions League Round of 16, finishing top of their group with 18 points from seven matches, six of which were wins.
The dramatic game saw two penalties awarded to Barcelona, with an own goal from Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo and a red card to Benfica’s Arthur Cabral late in the match.
Benfica took the lead early in the second minute when Tamas Araújo’s cross was headed into the box, and Pavlidis slotted it home from outside the six-yard box. In the sixth minute, Frederic missed a chance to double Benfica’s lead, while Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski came close in the ninth minute, but his effort went high.
In the 13th minute, Lewandowski equalized with a calm penalty after a foul on Alejandro Balde in the box, confirmed by VAR. Then, in the 20th minute, Gavi had a great chance, but Benfica’s goalkeeper saved it.
The match turned in the 22nd minute when Stánsti’s mistake allowed Pavlidis to score again. The Polish keeper tried to clear the ball outside the box but accidentally passed it to his teammate Balde, resulting in an easy finish for Pavlidis. Then, in the 28th minute, Stánsti fouled Akturkoglu in the box, and Pavlidis completed his hat-trick with a successful penalty.
Before this match, Pavlidis had only scored one goal in six Champions League games. But in this match, he achieved a quick-fire hat-trick in 30 minutes—making it the third-fastest Champions League hat-trick in history.
In the added first-half time, Raphinha had a great chance to score, but Lewandowski’s pass was misfired by the Brazilian winger. After the break, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal missed a chance to score in the 58th minute.
Barcelona’s coach made two key substitutions in the 62nd minute, bringing in Frenkie de Jong and Fermín López for Marc Casado and Gavi.
The comeback began in the 64th minute when Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin made a mistake, and Raphinha capitalized, heading the ball into the net to reduce the deficit.
However, Benfica quickly restored their two-goal advantage in the 68th minute when Araújo scored an own goal, attempting to clear a cross from the left.
In the 78th minute, Lewandowski scored his second goal from the penalty spot, following a foul on Yamal in the box.
Lewandowski now has 103 Champions League goals, placing him third on the all-time list, behind Lionel Messi (129) and Cristiano Ronaldo (140).
Barcelona’s Eric García equalized in the 84th minute with a superb header from Pedri’s cross, bringing the score to 4-4.
In the 89th minute, Di María had a chance to give Benfica the lead, but Stánsti made an incredible save.
Then, in the fifth minute of added time, a dramatic sequence unfolded. After a controversial no-penalty decision for a potential foul on a Benfica player in Barcelona’s box, the hosts launched a counterattack.
Ferran Torres floated a ball into the box, and Raphinha controlled it, evaded a defender, and fired it between two Benfica players into the net. The entire Barcelona squad erupted in celebration as they sealed an extraordinary victory.
