Juba Touabi, Media365, published on Tuesday January 21, 2025 at 9:42 p.m.
SL Benfica struck a big blow at the start of the match against FC Barcelona (3-1) during the 7th day of the Champions League, thanks to a resounding hat-trick from Vangelis Pavlidis.
A start to the evening to forget for the Catalans, who were brought to their knees from the first half hour. From the 2nd minute, Benfica set the tone. On a precise cross from Carreras, Aktürkoglu intelligently let the ball pass to Pavlidis, who adjusted a shot under the crossbar. This early goal set the Estádio da Luz ablaze and put the Lisbon side in an ideal position. Barça, surprised but combative, however found an opportunity to quickly get back into the match. A careless foul by Tomas Araujo on Alex Balde in the area resulted in a penalty after consultation with VAR. Robert Lewandowski, imperturbable, equalized in the 13th minute by beating Anatoliy Trubin.
Barça cannot find solutions
Just as Barcelona seemed to be taking control, Pavlidis appeared again. Taking advantage of a monumental defensive error, the Greek striker recovered a poorly cleared ball after a disagreement between Szczesny and Balde to restore Benfica's advantage in the 22nd minute. This goal underlined the fragilities of a suffering Catalan defense. Things were going from bad to worse for the Blaugrana. A few minutes later, Szczesny, unhappy in his interventions, committed a foul on Aktürkoglu in the area, giving Benfica a second penalty. Pavlidis was quick to convert the effort, scoring a hat-trick within half an hour of play (30th minute). Carried by its public and the clinical efficiency of Pavlidis, Benfica knew how to manage the attacks of a destabilized FC Barcelona and incapable of turning the tide in this first period.
