Football
Barcelona Win NINE-Goal Thriller Against Benfica With Last Kick Of The Game Completing Comeback
Olly Taliku has worked with highly respected sports and gambling websites where he has produced hundreds of articles, as well as being published with Burton Albion and Chesterfield FC. At Burton Olly worked closely alongside the women's team, producing mainly matchday content including reports and interviews, while at Chesterfield he worked in a similar role but with the academy side, as well as some first team content. He also has experience as an accredited Premier League and EFL writer for Prost International where he worked during the 2021/22 season to produce matchday content as an on location reporter. Olly specialises in football as well as long form SEO content plus news, tips and betting but also produces content on basketball, baseball and American football.
Get to know Oliver Taliku betterPublished21 Jan 2025
Watch full Champions League highlights from Portugal as Barcelona shocked Benfica on Tuesday night, completing a stunning comeback with the last kick of the game.
Barcelona Pull Off The Impossible
The game got off to a quick start in Portugal, with Vangelis Pavlidis smashing his first effort into the top corner from close range after just two minutes.
Barcelona were gifted an opportunity to get back into the game just ten minutes later though as Robert Lewandowski levelled proceedings from the penalty spot.
The visitors weren’t level for long, with Benfica taking advantage of Barca’s high line in the first of two horror moments for Wojciech Szczęsny.
The goalkeeper – who has come out of retirement to play for Barcelona this year – failed to call for a looping ball in the Barca half and he took out his own defender well out of his own box, leaving Pavlidis an open goal to walk into for his and Benfica’s second.
Pavlidis and Benfica entered dream land just before half time as the hosts were awarded the game’s second penalty for a Szczęsny foul, with Pavlidis confidently stroking home for a two-goal advantage and a first-half hat-trick.
Raphinha has been one of the most in form players in the world this year and the Brazilian showed his class in the second half, with his first goal of the game bringing Barcelona back into contention with just under half an hour left to play.
Barca’s parade was again rained on just four minutes later, as Benfica had their two-goal advantage restored courtesy of a Ronald Araujo own goal.
If the first half had been a dream for Benfica, the final 15 minutes of Tuesday’s clash was certainly a nightmare.
Lewandowski scored the game’s third penalty in the 78th minute and out of nowhere the visitors were level in Portugal, as Eric Garcia nodded in a cross that sent the stadium silent.
It looked as if the points would be shared on Tuesday with the seconds ticking down in added time, but Raphinha once again turned hero for the Spanish side with a brilliant solo goal completing Barcelona’s impossible comeback.
WATCH: Benfica 4-5 Barcelona Highlights
With their win Barcelona officially qualified for the Champions League last 16, while Benfica look set to contest the new playoff phase.