SL Benfica emerged victorious in a thrilling 4-3 encounter against Sevilla in the Algarve Women’s Football Trophy on Friday, thanks to a dramatic late double from Nigeria’s Christy Ucheibe, Soccernet.ng reports.
Ucheibe was the hero of the game for the Portuguese champions in a match, that was a rollercoaster of emotions, from the start to the end.
Sevilla started strong, with Millaray Cortés opening the scoring in the 9th minute after capitalising on a defensive error by Pauleta.
The Spanish side doubled their lead in the 23rd minute when Lúcia Moral out-jumped the Benfica defence to head in a corner, putting the Andalusians in a commanding 2-0 lead.
Benfica, however, refused to back down. Their first response came through Cristina Martin-Prieto, whose goal was initially disallowed for offside.
Undeterred, Martin-Prieto found the back of the net again in the 29th minute, this time legally, against her former club, bringing Benfica back into contention.
But Sevilla quickly restored their two-goal cushion just a minute later, with Natallia Padilla scoring after a powerful run down the left flank.
The match seemed to be slipping away from Benfica, but Carole Costa’s penalty conversion just before halftime kept the Portuguese side within reach. The game continued at a frenetic pace, with Benfica pushing hard for an equaliser in the second half.
The decisive moments came in the dying minutes of the match.
Super Falcons midfielder Ucheibe, who had represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics, first equalised in the 89th minute with a simple tap-in after showing a tremendous desire to get to a floated corner kick.
Then, deep in stoppage time, she completed the stunning comeback by excellently heading in a free kick to seal a 4-3 victory for Benfica.
Despite the win, the drama was not over. The match’s conclusion saw a penalty shootout as part of the tournament’s rules to help decide the overall winner. Sevilla triumphed in the shootout, winning 5-3, after Benfica’s Lara Martins and Clarinha missed their penalties.
Benfica’s victory over Sevilla ensures that the tournament’s winner will only be decided on Saturday when they face Sporting in the final match of the Algarve Women’s Trophy.
This post was last modified on August 10, 2024 8:38 pm