Qarabağ overturned a 2-0 deficit to stun Benfica 3-2 at Estádio da Luz. What promised to be a confident evening for the Portuguese giants turned into a nightmare as the visitors clawed their way back and stole all three points in the 86th minute.
Benfica started with all the intent. Within six minutes, Enzo Barrenechea nodded home from a corner to put the hosts ahead. The Estádio da Luz erupted behind him, sensing a comfortable night was in store.
And indeed, ten minutes later, Benfica doubled their lead when Vangelis Pavlidis, alert to a loose moment in the Qarabağ defence, curled a shot into the net.
At that stage, Benfica looked sharp, controlled, superior in possession and intent, dominating both flanks and threading passes through Qarabağ’s backline with relative ease.
But Qarabağ gradually found their footing. Their first lifeline came in the 30th minute when Leandro Andrade smashed in a first-time finish, cutting the margin and altering the momentum.
Benfica had to adjust: the visitors were no longer just defending. They began probing, pressing higher, forcing turnovers and looking dangerous on the break. The second half resumed with renewed energy from Qarabağ.
No more than three minutes after the restart, Camilo Durán slipped in behind the Benfica defence following a defence-splitting pass from Marko Janković, finishing confidently to level the game at 2-2.
From then on, the pendulum swung back and forth. Benfica tried to regain control, pushing forward through substitutes and pressing mid-block, but their attempts were increasingly undermined by Qarabağ’s compact structure and increasing belief.
Amazing Qarabağ comeback #UCL pic.twitter.com/C2HfrIdlEo
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 16, 2025
The Azeri side defended well, dealt with crosses and set-pieces with discipline and looked increasingly dangerous when breaking. Benfica had their chances, of course: shots from distance, drifting crosses, moments of inaccuracy from Qarabağ’s backline, but nothing clinical enough to retake a lead.
As the clock ticked into the last ten minutes, tension mounted. Benfica’s urgency showed in every forward run, every cross whipped in from wide, every effort to force a mistake from Qarabağ. But the visitors held firm. Then came the defining moment.
In the 86th minute, after a long punt forward from the Qarabağ goalkeeper, Oleksiy Kashchuk engaged in a one-two with Abdellah Zoubir just outside Benfica’s box.
The movement disoriented the home defence and Kashchuk slotted a left-foot shot into the bottom right corner past Anatoliy Trubin. The stadium fell silent. Qarabağ had done it: 3-2 up.
In the dying minutes, Benfica threw everything forward — corners, overlapping full-backs, desperate runs into the box — but Qarabağ’s defence held. When the final whistle sounded, they sealed a result that will be remembered as one of the great away comebacks in their history.
For Benfica, the defeat is a harsh lesson. Two-goal leads, especially in Europe, must be defended with both teeth and discipline. Their early dominance was undermined by complacency and a failure to adapt once Qarabağ changed system and intensity.
For Qarabağ, this is more than just three points. It is a statement of intent. Having qualified for the Champions League group stage only for the second time in their history — and with limited expectations from many pundits — they showed resilience, tactical flexibility and mental strength.