With Benfica and Barcelona both assured of their participation in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League ahead of kickoff, Wednesday’s match in Seixal looked to be an interesting one – with nothing at stake for either side.
BEN: Pauels; Ucheibe, Seiça, Araújo; Falcón, Faria, Gasper, Alves; Silva, Nycole, Alidou
BAR: Font; Batlle, Engen, Torrejón, Bronze; Guijarro, Walsh, Bonmatí; Paralluelo, Caldentey, Graham Hansen
It took just 18 minutes in Seixal for Caroline Graham Hansen to hand Barcelona the lead, smashing home from a Lucy Bronze cross – and the goalscorer quickly turned provider, teeing up Patri Guijarro just two minutes later to put Barça in control.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Marie-Yasmine Alidou had remembered her shooting boots too, and managed to net twice before the half-time interval to add another layer of complexity to this enthralling European fixture.
Graham Hansen was able to restore Barcelona’s lead after less than ten minutes of second-half action, although Jéssica Silva was able to level the match once more after being played through on goal by Nycole Raysla.
Lucy Bronze would feature in a rather eventful end to the action, handing Benfica the lead in the 81st minute as she found the back of her own net. The English international did manage to make amends for the error though, heading home in the 96th minute to tie the match at 4-4 and preserve Barcelona’s unbeaten record.
Jessica Silva equalised for the Portuguese side in the 71st minute before Lucy Bronze had an eventful end to the game, putting through her own net in the 81st minute to give Benfica a 4-3 lead and then leaping to head home in the sixth minute of injury time to salvage a 4-4 draw and her side’s unbeaten record.
