Qarabag Secure Historic Victory Over Benfica in Champions League Matchday 1

Azerbaijan’s FK Qarabag pulled off an incredible comeback to defeat Portuguese giants Benfica 3-2 in their UEFA Champions League league phase opener.

The match, played in Lisbon, began with early dominance from the hosts, The Caspian Post reports.

Benfica raced to a 2-0 lead within the first 16 minutes, thanks to goals from Enzo Barrenechea in the 6th minute and Vangelis Pavlidis in the 16th.

However, Qarabag showed remarkable resilience and turned the tide. Leandro Andrade sparked the comeback with a goal in the 30th minute, cutting Benfica’s lead in half before halftime.

Just three minutes into the second half, Camilo Duran leveled the score at 2-2, shifting the momentum firmly in Qarabag’s favor. The dramatic winner came in the 86th minute when Oleksiy Kashchuk found the back of the net, sealing a memorable away win for the Azerbaijani champions.

The result marks a historic victory for Qarabag and a disappointing start to the campaign for Benfica.