Barcelona Battles Back Against Benfica in Thrilling Champions League Clash
Barcelona clawed their way back into contention in their Champions League faceoff against Benfica, narrowing a 3-1 halftime deficit to keep their hopes alive.
The match began disastrously for Barcelona as Alvaro Carreras delivered a pinpoint cross, enabling Vangelis Pavlidis to smash home the opener. Wojciech Szczesny, making his Champions League debut for the Catalan side, was left helpless to prevent the goal.
Barcelona equalized just 11 minutes later. Alejandro Balde’s brilliant run into Benfica’s penalty area resulted in a foul by Antonio Silva, confirmed after a VAR review. Robert Lewandowski calmly converted from the spot, netting his 102nd Champions League goal and giving the visitors a lifeline.
Despite gaining momentum, Barcelona suffered another setback when Szczesny committed a costly error, gifting Pavlidis his second goal of the night. The Greek forward completed his hat-trick with a penalty after Szczesny conceded another foul, marking a nightmare return to Champions League action for the Polish goalkeeper.
Barcelona now faces a challenging path forward, with every moment of the match underscoring the high stakes and intensity of European football’s elite competition.