Barcelona turned an unbelievable night into reality, turning a 4-2 deficit through an improbable comeback into a 5-4 victory over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League at the Estádio da Lu

The game began well with Benfica dominating. A great assist from Fredrik Aursnes was received by Vangelis Pavlidis, who shot at close range to put the hosts in front. Barcelona came back immediately, though, when Robert Lewandowski comfortably converted a penalty after Tomás Araújo fouled Alejandro Balde in the box.

But the excitement did not cease then and there. Pavlidis was determined to make Benfica lead further by scoring after he took advantage of a defensive slip. The super hat-trick was then completed with a penalty after Wojciech Szczęsny fouled Kerem Aktürkoğlu, leaving matters at half-time with Benfica leading 3-1.

The interval produced the expected rallying from Barcelona, and there was a sense of hope for the visiting team when Raphinha turned an innocuous goal kick into an own goal. There wasn’t much time between the disruption of that balance and Benfica restoring their two-goal lead. Andreas Schjelderup had his shot deflected to the back of the net, and the cheers from the fans matched that of consolation for a 4-2 scoreline.

Barcelona, though, was not about to throw in the towel. Again, Lewandowski took charge to put away another penalty, this time won by the young Lamine Yamal after being fouled by Nicolás Otamendi. Energy suddenly changed after Eric García took a strong header to equalize, making the Barcelona bench very happy.