Qarabag make history

Seven years after their last—and only—appearance in the Champions League, Azerbaijani side Qarabag returned to Europe’s biggest stage with a bang.

Once considered one of the tournament’s underdogs, the team pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback in Lisbon, rallying from a 2–0 deficit to defeat Portuguese powerhouse Benfica 3–2 and claim their first-ever win in the competition.

Benfica wasted no time asserting dominance. Just eight minutes in, Ukrainian playmaker Heorhii Sudakov—signed this summer for €20 million—delivered a pinpoint corner that Enzo Barrenechea, on loan from Aston Villa, headed home from close range. Sudakov struck again minutes later, setting up Vangelis Pavlidis for a clean one-on-one finish to make it 2–0.

Qarabag fight back

But Qarabag wasn’t done. In the 30th minute, Cape Verdean winger Leandro Andrade pounced on a loose ball in the box, smashing it past the keeper to cut the deficit. Just two minutes later, Kady Borges nearly equalized with a left-footed rocket that rattled the post.

Right after halftime, Jankovic slipped a brilliant pass into the box, and Camilo Durán coolly slotted it into the far corner to level the score at 2–2. The momentum had shifted, and Benfica’s fans at Estádio da Luz grew restless.

In the 86th minute, substitute Oleksiy Kashchuk combined with teammate Abdellah Zoubir inside the box, spinning past a static Benfica defense and firing home the winner. The Qarabag bench erupted in celebration as the final whistle confirmed a historic victory.

A night to remember

For Qarabag, this wasn’t just a win—it was a statement. After years of waiting, they’ve finally etched their name into Champions League history. And with three points in the bag, the journey is just beginning.

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Benfica

• 1 Anatolii Trubin
• 26 Samuel Dahl -
• 30 Otamendi -
• 17 Amar Dedic -
• 4 Antonio Tavares Da Sila -
• 5 Enzo Barrenechea
• 10 Sudakov
• 21 Andreas Schjelderup (69') -
• 20 Richard Rios (78')
• 8 Aursnes (69') -
• 14 Vangelis Pavlidis (78')
• Substitutes
• 25 Gianluca Prestianni (69')
• 39 Henrique Araujo (78')
• 24 Samuel Soares
• 9 Franjo Ivanovic (69')
• 71 Leandro Santos
• 44 Tomas Araujo
• 84 João Rego
• 64 Gonçalo Oliveira
• 86 Diogo Prioste
• 3 Rafael Burguera
• 18 Leandro Barreiro Martins (78')
• 68 João Veloso

FK Qarabag

• 99 Mateusz Kochalski
• 81 Kevin Medina
• 13 Bahlul Mustafazada
• 44 Elvin Cafarquliyev (76')
• 2 Matheus Silva
• 20 Kady Borges
• 35 Pedro Bicalho
• 10 Abdellah Zoubir
• 8 Marko Jankovic (76')
• 15 Leandro Andrade (65')
• 17 Camilo Durán (89')
• Substitutes
• 55 Huseynov
• 97 Fabijan Buntic
• 6 Chris Kouakou
• 27 Tural Bayramov (76')
• 11 Emmanuel Addai (65')
• 18 Dani Bolt
• 21 Oleksii Kashchuk (76')
• 1 Sahruddin Mahammadaliyev
• 30 Huseynov
• 3 Mmaee
• 22 Musa Qurbanly (89') SC

Substitutions

Emmanuel Addai (65', Leandro Andrade), Franjo Ivanovic (69', Fredrik Aursnes), Gianluca Prestianni (69', Andreas Schjelderup), Oleksii Kashchuk (76', Marko Jankovic), Toral Bayramov (76', Elvin Cafarquliyev), Henrique Araújo (78', Vangelis Pavlidis), Leandro Barreiro (78', Richard Ríos), Musa Qurbanli (89', Camilo Durán)

Goals

1-0, 5': Enzo Barrenechea, 2-0, 15': Vangelis Pavlidis, 2-1, 29': Leandro Andrade, 2-2, 47': Camilo Durán, 2-3, 85': Oleksii Kashchuk

Standings

Standings	Pts.	P	W	D	L
22 PFC	1	1	0	1	0
23 ATM	0	1	0	0	1
24 BEN	0	1	0	0	1
25 MAR	0	1	0	0	1
26 NEW	0	1	0	0	1

Standings	Pts.	P	W	D	L
8 INT	3	1	1	0	0
9 MNC	3	1	1	0	0
10 QAR	3	1	1	0	0
11 LIV	3	1	1	0	0
12 BCN	3	1	1	0	0