Benfica vs FC Porto: Dramatic Handball Draw in National Championship
LISBON, Portugal – In a thrilling, back-and-forth encounter at Pavilhão n.º 2 da Luz on , S.L. Benfica and FC Porto battled to a 29-29 draw in a Campeonato Nacional (Portuguese League) handball match. The result, secured by a dramatic last-second goal from Benfica’s Alejandro Barbeito, leaves both teams poised for a competitive second phase of the season.
The match began with FC Porto establishing an early offensive rhythm. Within the first five minutes, the visitors had built a 2-4 lead, capitalizing on their opportunities and minimizing errors. This early advantage extended to 3-7 by the eight-and-a-half-minute mark, largely due to the strong performance of Gunnarsson, who had already scored four goals.
Benfica struggled to respond initially, failing to fully capitalize on two-minute exclusions for FC Porto’s Ricardo Brandão and Salinas. FC Porto’s tactical decision to remove their goalkeeper during offensive possessions maintained numerical parity and allowed them to continue creating scoring chances.
Despite adjustments to a more aggressive 5×1 defensive system around the 18-minute mark, Benfica found themselves trailing 9-10. While the change in defense began to disrupt Porto’s attack, some errant offensive decisions prevented Benfica from leveling the score.
Goalkeeper Gustavo Capdeville emerged as a key figure for Benfica in the first half, making several crucial saves to keep his team within striking distance. However, a combination of offensive lapses from both sides resulted in a narrow 14-15 lead for FC Porto at halftime.
The second half saw a more determined Benfica emerge. Two consecutive goals early in the half allowed the home side to capture the lead for the first time, 16-15, at the 32-minute mark. A period of high offensive efficiency from both teams followed, punctuated by a seven-meter throw awarded to Benfica after Salinas was excluded for two minutes following contact with Capdeville. Benfica converted, extending their lead to 20-18.
Further goals from Christopher Hedberg pushed Benfica’s advantage to 21-18. However, consecutive turnovers by Benfica, despite continued strong goalkeeping from Capdeville, allowed FC Porto to close the gap to 21-20.
The game remained intensely competitive, with the score tied at 22-22 at the 44-minute mark. Benfica attempted to disrupt FC Porto’s rhythm by playing with two pivots and temporarily removing their goalkeeper, but failed to convert on the resulting possessions. FC Porto regained the lead, 26-28, with five minutes remaining.
Benfica responded, leveling the score at 28-28 with two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock. Capdeville made another crucial save, giving Benfica a chance to take the lead, but they were unable to capitalize. FC Porto quickly countered, establishing a 28-29 advantage with just 12 seconds remaining.
Facing a one-goal deficit, Benfica head coach Jota González called a timeout to strategize for the final play. The resulting play saw strong defensive pressure from Benfica force a turnover, with Capdeville recovering the ball with five seconds left. He quickly launched a long-range shot to Alejandro Barbeito, who fired the ball into the net as time expired, securing the 29-29 draw.
With the result, Benfica concludes the first phase of the Campeonato Nacional with 16 wins and 3 draws in 22 games, totaling 57 points. They now await the completion of FC Porto’s postponed matches to determine whether they will begin the second phase of the competition in second or third place.
The top four teams will advance to compete for the national title, carrying over half of their points from the first phase.
Jota González (Benfica Head Coach): “We complicated the game at the beginning. We lost a lot of balls and they scored on the counter-attack. We managed to gain the equalizer on the last ball. We will only go into the next phase with 1 point less than FC Porto. The team gave their all, it’s a shame about the many turnovers on attack. We tried to pressure at the end to force them to lose the ball, the first player to have it had to attack the ball. This draw may be vital for us. It was a very intense game, we only trained on Friday. We are missing some important players and the team’s attitude was good.”
Alejandro Barbeito (Benfica Central Player): “It was on the last opportunity. I didn’t have time to think, there were 4 or 5 seconds left. There’s no time to think, just go to the goal and then my teammates said they were alone, but I shot the ball. We are very happy to have achieved the tie. It was a very intense game, especially after the trip from the European competition game. But high competition is like that. You have to know how to play when you only have 1 or 2 days to train.”
Scoring Summary:
Benfica: Mikita Vailupau (7), Reinier Taboada (5), Pau Oliveras (3), Bélone Moreira (3), Alejandro Barbeito (3), Fábio Silva (2), Miguel Sánchez (2), Stiven Valencia (2), Christopher Hedberg (1), El Korchi (1).