Qarabag stuns Benfica with historic 3-2 victory in Champions VIDEO

Azerbaijan’s Qarabag secured a remarkable 3-2 away win over Portuguese giants Benfica in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Caliber.Az reports.

After falling behind early, Qarabag fought back with determination. Benfica took the lead in the 6th minute when Enzo Barrenechea deflected a corner into the far corner of the net, and Vangelis Pavlidis doubled the advantage in the 16th minute.

Qarabag responded before halftime when Leandro Andrade scored a powerful strike in the 30th minute, bringing the score to 2-1. Early in the second half, Camilo Duran equalised in the 48th minute, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

The decisive goal came in the 86th minute, with Oleksiy Kashchuk finishing a clever passing move with Zoubir in the Benfica penalty area.

The win marks a historic moment for Qarabag, who are competing in the Champions League group stage for the second time. The Azerbaijani champions will now face tough opponents including Chelsea, Liverpool, Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli, Athletic Bilbao, and Copenhagen.

The match was held at Estádio da Luz and officiated by Belgian FIFA referee Erik Lambrechts.

By Vugar Khalilov