As a last minute winner’s game, the Benfica vs. Barcelona match will undoubtedly go down as one of the most thrilling and intense games of the season. 

The match quickly started with a goal by Benficia centre-forward Vangelis Pavlidis, assisted by Benfica left back Álvaro Carreras. Around the eleventh minute, Benfica right back Tomás Araújo attempted to challenge Barcelona right back Alejandro Balde for the ball. 

This did not bode well. After checking the VAR (video assistant referee), the referee called a penalty for Barcelona. Barcelona star striker Robert Lewandowski took the penalty and scored, tying the match 1-1. At 21 minutes, a mix up between Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Balde led the two players to collide, leaving an open net for Pavlidis to easily score his second goal of the night. 

27 minutes in, Benfica right winger Kerem Aktükoğlu chipped the ball up as Szczesny slid in, drawing another penalty for Benfica. Pavlidis took it, making the score 3-1 as the game reached halftime.

Coming into the second half, Benfica goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin smashed the ball into the head of Barcelona winger Raphinha from a goal kick. This moment marked the end of Benfica’s night. Barcelona began closing in on a possible comeback, changing the score 2-3. 

Yet, their efforts were brought to a halt when Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo deflected a cross into his own teams net, giving a two point cushion for Benfica. 75 minutes in and with only 15 minutes left on the clock, Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal went down into the Benfica box, gaining a penalty for Barcelona. Lewandowski scored the penalty, the score 3-4. 

With 5 minutes left, Barcelona midfielder Pedro López made an incredible pass to substitute Eric Garcia, tying the game 4-4. At the 95th minute of the game, Raphinha made one last effort, cutting inside the Benfica box and scoring a goal, bringing an end to one of the most incredible matches played this season. After a grueling 3 goal comeback, Barcelona emerged victorious.